No pain, no gain means that you cannot achieve anything without hard work and some discomfort. Literally: no pain, no result. People say it about training, studying and any work where results come through tiredness and effort. The expression is conversational: you can use it in IELTS Speaking, but in an essay it is better to write success requires effort.
When would you say no pain, no gain?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
No pain, no gain. (short comment); clause, but no pain, no gain; it's a case of no pain, no gain
- My legs ached for days after my first long run, but no pain, no gain.
- Our coach answers every complaint with the same phrase: no pain, no gain.
- Guitar strings hurt your fingers for the first few weeks, but it's a case of no pain, no gain.
What changed
First versionI'm tired after every training session, but as they say, without pain, no gain.
RevisionI'm tired after every training session, but as they say, no pain, no gain.
The idea “without pain, there is no gain” tempts you to start with without. But the saying is fixed, and its words can't be changed: only no pain, no gain. Without was replaced with no; everything else stayed the same.
No pain, no gain states a general rule: without effort and discomfort, there will be no result. To simply say that specific efforts brought results, use pay off: All those evening classes finally paid off when I got the job. It is a neutral verb, so unlike the saying, you can use it in an essay.
Your turn
Training for the marathon meant getting up at five every day for months, but I kept telling myself: ___.
Show the answer
no pain, no gain — Months of getting up at five to train for a marathon mean hard work for a result, which is no pain, no gain. Easy come, easy go is said about something that came easily and went just as easily, such as money won in a lottery.
Write about a skill that was hard for you to learn: a sport, a language or a musical instrument. Say what was difficult and what you finally achieved, and add no pain, no gain at the end.
My first month of swimming lessons was exhausting and I swallowed a lot of water, but now I can swim a kilometre without stopping: no pain, no gain.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.