Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr.
“What little Hans does not learn, Hans will never learn.”
Habits and skills are best and most easily learned in youth.
— Traditional Switzerland Wisdom, Switzerland
Source: Traditional German-language proverb widely used in Switzerland, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Switzerland
The morning hour has gold in its mouth.
Starting work early in the day is rewarding and productive.
Whoever rests, rusts.
If you stop being active or practicing, your skills and vitality decline.
Speech is silver, silence is gold.
Knowing when to stay silent is often more valuable than speaking.
The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Children tend to resemble their parents in character or behaviour.
Practice makes the master.
Skill and mastery come only through repeated effort and practice.
Lies have short legs.
Dishonesty does not get far and is soon found out.