[Ads-l] Adage Origin: The only way out is through

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

LH asked me to explore the adage in the subject line. He pointed out
that the famous poet Robert Frost used the expressions "the best way
out is always through" and "no way out but through" in a 1914 poem
titled "A Servant To Servants".

In 2018 Charles Doyle and Wolfgang Mieder published in the journal
"Proverbium", the second supplement to the reference work "The
Dictionary of Modern Proverbs". They included a helpful entry for "The
only way out is through". Their citations began with an article in the
journal "Advocate of Peace" in March 1918.

The earliest match I found appeared in 1870 within an opinion piece by
political activist George William Curtis about the ongoing
Franco-Prussian War published in "Harper's Weekly" of New York. France
had experienced significant defeats on the battlefield, and the author
wished that the country would implement major reforms:

[Begin excerpt]
The old things must utterly pass away if there are to be new things.
It is to be hoped that there are men in France who understand that
there can be no returning, that the only way out is through, not back.
We have yet to see whether there will be a reaction which will only
prolong the sorrow of the country, or a resolution which will at last
regenerate it.
[End excerpt]

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/06/30/way-out/

Feedback and illuminating citations would be welcome.
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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