necessity is the mother of invention

English

Alternative forms

• necessity is the mother of innovation

Proverb

necessity is the mother of invention

1. A person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it.

Translations

a person in need will find a way

• Arabic: اَلْحَاجَة أَمّ اَلاِخْتِرَاع (al-ḥāja ʾumm al-iḵtirāʿ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 需要是發明之母／需要是发明之母 (zh) (xūyào shì fāmíng zhī mǔ), 需要是发明之母 (zh) (xūyào shì fāmíng zhī mǔ)

• Czech: nouze naučila Dalibora housti (“need taught Dalibor to play the violin”)
• Danish: nød lærer nøgen kvinde at spinde
• Dutch: noodzaak is de moeder van uitvinding, nood breekt wet
• Finnish: hätä keinon keksii
• French: la nécessité est la mère de l’invention, nécessité fait loi (fr)
• German: Not macht erfinderisch, Notwendigkeit ist die Mutter der Erfindung, Not bricht Eisen
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• Hebrew: הכורח הוא אבי ההמצאה, הצורך הוא אבי ההמצאה
• Hungarian: a szükség találékonnyá tesz
• Icelandic: neyðin kennir naktri konu að spinna
• Italian: il bisogno aguzza l'ingegno, di necessità virtù
• Japanese: 必要は発明の母 (hitsuyō-wa hatsumei-no haha)
• Norwegian: nød lærer naken kvinne å spinne (need teaches (a) naked woman how to spin)
• Polish: potrzeba jest matką wynalazków (pl)
• Portuguese: a necessidade aguça o engenho, a necessidade é a mãe de toda invenção
• Russian: голь на вы́думку хитра́ (ru) (golʹ na výdumku xitrá) (lit., "poor people are crafty")
• Spanish: la necesidad agudiza el ingenio
• Swedish: nöden är uppfinningarnas moder