What Is The Origin Of This Too Shall Pass Phrase?

Question

Given its use in poetry and self-help books, where did this famous proverb 'this too shall pass' originally come from? It feels like ancient wisdom, but the exact source remains unclear. Who first wrote it down?

ArielRice · Answer

The phrase 'this too shall pass' is often traced back to Persian poetry and Sufi wisdom tales, later appearing in Jewish folklore and 19th-century English literature. It’s a reminder of impermanence, something that resonates in stories about characters navigating profound change. I recently finished 'The Grace of Leaving', where the protagonist’s entire journey is built on that idea—having to walk away from a life of magical power, with the narrative focusing on the quiet dignity and daily struggle in that loss, rather than epic battles. It turned a familiar adage into a very personal, grounded experience.

Mila · Answer

I still smile when I hear 'this too shall pass'—my grandma used to tuck it into conversations like a little life jacket. On the origin front, it's messy but fascinating: scholars trace versions of the idea across Persian, Hebrew, and Ottoman folk traditions. In Persian the phrase shows up as 'in niz bogzarad' (این نیز بگذرد), and many believe a Persian or Sufi source helped spread the proverb through medieval storytelling.

One popular tale involves a powerful king who asks for a ring that will make him happy when he is sad and humble when he is proud; the jeweler inscribes something like 'this too shall pass' so the ruler learns impermanence. Jewish folklore has a similar story about King Solomon—sometimes the same tale migrates between cultures. In the 19th century the saying reached English readers through translations of Middle Eastern tales, and even Abraham Lincoln famously used the sentiment, saying essentially 'this, too, shall pass away.' I like how the phrase acts as a tiny philosophy: comforting in hard times, grounding in good ones, and perfect for pocket meditation when my day gets dramatic.

Nathan · Answer

I've dug into this while writing and chatting in forums, and what I find cool is how the phrase illustrates cultural conversation across centuries. Start with folklore: there's a well-known Jewish tale about King Solomon asking for a device or ring that would make the happy man sad and the sad man happy; the inscription is essentially 'this too shall pass.' But very similar lines exist in Persian proverbs and Sufi sayings, and linguistic historians often point to Persian-language iterations as an early source of the exact wording that later circulated in Europe.

From there the phrase moved into 19th-century English via translations of Eastern tales and sermons, then into political rhetoric—Abraham Lincoln used a version in a speech, which helped cement the saying in popular American usage. Beyond tracing origins, I enjoy how this little proverb sits at the crossroads of multiple philosophies: Stoic calm, Buddhist impermanence, and the biblical mood of 'to everything there is a season' from 'Ecclesiastes'. If you're into reading, hunting down the different retellings—Persian poets, Jewish folktale collections, and 19th-century translations—is satisfying, because each version colors the saying slightly differently.

Quinn · Answer

My take is more practical and a little nerdy: the exact phrase doesn't have a single neat birthplace like a modern invention. Instead, it's a traveling proverb. Versions of the sentiment appear in Persian literature, Jewish folktales (the King Solomon ring story is the headline act), and Ottoman sayings. By the 1800s English readers were picking it up from translated eastern tales, and figures like Abraham Lincoln helped popularize it in the West.

Culturally, it's one of those universal human truths—impermanence shows up in 'Ecclesiastes' and in Sufi poetry alike—so it gets reinvented a lot. I often use it as a quick reset when my gaming clan's chat heats up or when a plot twist in a book leaves me shook: a reminder that emotion is temporary and perspective shifts over time.

Kayla · Answer

Short and chatty: I think of 'this too shall pass' as a folk-proverb that hopped across borders. There isn't a single, definitive inventor; Persian and Hebrew traditions both claim versions, and there's that King Solomon/ring folktale that appears in Jewish storytelling. By the 1800s translations of Middle Eastern stories brought the exact wording into English, and public figures like Abraham Lincoln helped make the phrase stick.

For me it works as a tiny mantra—useful when you need perspective in a rough patch or when you catch yourself getting too pleased with a small win. It's simple, ancient-sounding, and oddly practical.

MilaDay · Answer

The phrase feels like it was carved into the wall of a forgotten tomb. Its power is in its ambiguity and age. If you’re a writer looking for its ‘origin’ for a story, don’t pick just one—layer them. Have a character find it in an ancient ruin, then hear a bard sing a version of it, then have a wise woman tell the ring story.

Factually, the Solomon story is apocryphal, not biblical. Lincoln’s use is well-documented and a key moment in its American adoption. But the feeling it evokes—that melancholy, cosmic patience—is older than any recorded history.

In modern genre fiction, it’s used as a grounding mantra for characters facing apocalyptic events or personal ruin. It works because it whispers a truth we all feel deep down: nothing, good or bad, is your permanent address.

OrlaCox · Answer

Honestly, I just associate it with my grandma’s cross-stitch hanging in her hallway. She had no idea where it came from, and I doubt she cared. To her, it was just true. That’s probably the real answer for most people—it’s a truth that feels discovered, not invented.

If you’re digging for a citation, you’ll find a mess. Some say it’s on a ring in a Turkish story, others say it’s in the Bible (it’s not, directly). Lincoln quoted it. Tolkien probably wished he wrote it. It’s the ultimate public-domain philosophical soundbite.

The coolest part is how it’s been localized into every culture. In anime, it’s the wise old sensei’s lesson about nothing lasting forever. In a grimdark novel, it’s the bitter reassurance before a downfall. Its origin is humanity’s shared experience of time doing its thing.

EliWood · Answer

You're asking about one of the most adaptable pieces of wisdom in human history. It's not from a single book or author; it's a migratory proverb. Scholars often point to Persian origins, with poets like Rumi or Attar expressing similar sentiments about the impermanence of both joy and sorrow.

Later, it appears in Jewish folklore, specifically in a midrash about King Solomon. The version I learned had a jeweler etching the phrase on a ring for the king as a remedy for his fluctuating moods. From there, it entered Western consciousness through travelers and writers.

Abraham Lincoln famously used it in a speech before the Civil War, which cemented its place in American thought. Now, you’ll find it everywhere from fantasy epics, where it sounds like a prophecy, to recovery communities, where it’s a mantra. Its origin is less a point on a map and more a testament to how humans everywhere grapple with change.

MarcusKid · Answer

Ever notice it’s never attached to a single, famous author? We don’t say ‘Shakespeare’s “this too shall pass.”’ Its anonymity is its strength. It feels like it comes from the collective voice of humanity, from experience itself.

That’s the hallmark of true folklore. The origin is communal. The Persian poet, the Jewish storyteller, the English translator, Abraham Lincoln—they were all conduits, not owners. They heard something true and passed it on, maybe adding their own slight spin.

In an age obsessed with intellectual property and citation, this phrase is a refreshing rebel. It belongs to everyone. You can’t copyright a truth that old. Its origin story is a chorus, not a solo.

OwenRice · Answer

The pessimist in me always hears it as a threat. The optimist hears it as a promise. The realist just hears it as a fact. That range of interpretation is why it’s been adopted by religions, philosophies, and therapies with wildly different worldviews.

Its origin isn’t in a single doctrine. It’s pre-doctrine. It’s the raw observation that comes before you build a philosophy or a religion around it. Stoicism, Buddhism, and Existentialism all build different houses on this same foundational rock.

When we encounter it stripped of any -ism, in a simple story or a friend’s text, it connects us back to that raw, pre-philosophical human experience. That’s its oldest layer, and the one we all understand instinctively.

What Is The Origin Of This Too Shall Pass Phrase?

10 Answers

Related Books

The Grace of Leaving

PLEASING ETERNITY

Whispers of Yesterdays Love

This is Farewell

The Strength to Start Over

When Snow Falls, I Let You Go

Related Questions

Who originally said the phrase 'this shall too pass'?

What are the origins of the 'and this too shall pass' poem?

Which musicians sampled the phrase this too shall pass?

How did this too shall pass become a song title?

What is the origin of the phrase 'the twain shall meet'?

What does 'this shall too pass' mean in the Bible?

What is the meaning of 'and this too shall pass' poem?

Who wrote the poem 'and this too shall pass'?

Is 'this shall pass' a quote from a famous book?

How is 'this shall too pass' used in modern psychology?

Related Searches

This Shall Too Pass

This Shall Pass Too

And This Too Shall Pass Poem

This Shall Pass

Everything Shall Pass