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"Глаза боятся, а руки делают" Russian idiom in which hands handling the scary-looking-things-to-eyes
2 years agoPerhaps everyone can remember that feeling when he/she had to start doing some big and difficult task. Getting down to work is not always easy, especially if the work has no end in sight!
However, the Russian people have never been prone to procrastination and have created a motivating proverb "глаза боятся, а руки делают" which is literally translated as "the eyes are scared, but the hands are doing."
This expression pops up in memory when they say that the task must be completed at any cost. There is a lot of work, but it cannot be postponed. On the contrary, you need to start immediately!
The proverb is appropriate in the case, for example, when a student is in his/her preparation for the exams. The student has been enjoying life for the last semester, and now in a few days, he/she is trying to remember all the dates and events of world history in order to pass the exam. The eyes are not only scared, but also horrified, and the hands (or in our case, the brain) still do their job, convulsively swallowing information. There is no other way out.
Usually the saying "Глаза боятся, а руки делают" is used to cheer up oneself or others before starting a difficult and unknown work. Also, it is sometimes said with relief when this work is done.
It's about the fact that there are things that you think you cannot handle and it seems to you that you will never be able to do them. But there is no choice and you get to work, and eventually, you will complete it somehow.
This is also the saying that when you try to work, you look at it with your eyes, it seems to be long and tiring, but as soon as you simply start doing it with your hands, eventually, you will have it done. The beginning would be the most important part of the action.
Example:
Да, нам предстоит сложный проект. Но как говорится, глаза боятся, а руки делают. Самое главное - это сейчас начать нашу работу.
