Not the day only, but all things have their morning.

This saying is commonly labeled a “French proverb” in English-language quotation collections, where it appears as a general maxim rather than a line traceable to a single identifiable speaker or occasion. It belongs to a broad European tradition of proverbial wisdom that uses the daily cycle—especially “morning” as the start of light and activity—as a metaphor for beginnings in human affairs. Because proverbs circulate orally and in many printed compilations, the phrase is typically presented without a fixed historical moment, and its “French” attribution usually signals perceived origin or long-standing use in French proverbial lore rather than a documented first publication.

The proverb extends “morning” beyond the literal start of a day to signify the initial, promising stage of anything: a life, a relationship, a project, an era, even an emotion. It implies that beginnings are natural and recurring—everything has a moment of freshness, possibility, and awakening. The line can be read optimistically (new starts are always available) but also as a reminder of transience: morning passes, so one should act while conditions are favorable. Its compact parallelism (“Not the day only… but all things…”) gives it the feel of settled, communal insight rather than personal confession.