Meaning
Regularly repeating an activity leads to mastering it; skill is built through consistent practice rather than talent alone.
It’s often said as encouragement to someone frustrated with their current skill level, reassuring them that improvement is a matter of continued effort.
Origin
Reference sources trace an earlier English form of this sentiment, “use makes mastery,” to the mid-sixteenth century, with some dictionaries dating it as far back as 1553; “use” here carries its older sense of “habitual practice.” The now-standard wording “practice makes perfect” is a later fixed variant that had become the dominant form by the nineteenth century, especially in American English, gradually displacing the older “use”-based phrasing as that sense of the word fell out of everyday use. The underlying idea, however, is far older and appears independently across many cultures and languages as a basic observation about skill acquisition, long before any particular English wording was fixed.
Examples
Don’t worry if your first attempts are clumsy — practice makes perfect.
She’s been learning the violin for a year now; practice makes perfect, as they say.
Keep running every morning, even if it’s hard at first — practice makes perfect.
A: I still can’t parallel park well. B: Keep trying, practice makes perfect.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Practice makes perfect' mean?
Regularly repeating an activity leads to mastering it; skill is built through consistent practice rather than talent alone.
It’s often said as encouragement to someone frustrated with their current skill level, reassuring them that improvement is a matter of continued effort.