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There's a motto in my native language which is metaphorically expressed as follows:

“The world is made of stairs¹, and there are those who go up and those who go down; those who are clever take the elevator.”

Note that, in the context of the sentence above, in my native language the word world assumes - always metaphorically - the same meaning of the word life.

Is there an adage, epigram, or proverb with the same meaning and usage in English?

¹ Alternative form: "The life is like a stair [...] ."

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No, do not read "the" for "thy" in the line. "Thy" is an archaic form of "your" — it should be read as "your life is as a stair" and for "as" modern writers would probably substitute "like" as in "your life is like a stair." – Robusto May 6 '12 at 11:09
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I think you're asking for an adage, epigram, or proverb, rather than an idiom (that seems like a mouthful for an idiom). And I'm not quite sure how the Dickens quote relates to your question, aside from the common use of the word "stair," particularly when Dickens is essentially saying "Do not say that life is like a stair..." ("Oh say not thus...") – J.R. May 6 '12 at 11:19
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The way it's currently phrased, it's hard not to read this question without trying to tie the Dickens quote with the Italian proverb, but the quote is a red herring. You could begin the question with "There's a motto in my native language..." and it would be much easier for everyone to understand what you are asking. As for "answering rather than commenting," I have no less than four websites open filled with quotes & proverbs relating to cleverness, but they are neither well-known nor similar. I do wonder why Paola gets a "thanks for your help," while I am told to "answer, don't comment." – J.R. May 6 '12 at 11:38
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@J.R. I don't know the answer to your last statement, but perhaps Carlo's different attitude is due to the fact that I'm a non native English speaker and so he expects less from me than he does from you or other natives; or perhaps he is kinder to me because I'm a lady and he's showing gentlemanly behaviour ;-) – Paola May 6 '12 at 15:22
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@Paola: Perhaps it is as you say, but, in our culture, gentlemanly behavior can be extended toward both ladies and gentleman; true gentlemen are not courteous toward one and rude toward the other. This is not the first time I've tried to give helpful information to Carlo only be hit with a very brusque response. (For the record, it's not my downvote, either, so I am not "Mr. Anonymous." Come to think of it, though, it might be rather ironic if "Mr. Anonymous" proved to be a lady. After all, you're not the only woman who frequents these discussions.) – J.R. May 6 '12 at 15:55
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Not a proverb, but you must give serious thought to the Game of Chutes & Ladders (in the US; known as 'Snakes & Ladders' elsewhere; existed for centuries in India known by various names.)

see http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Chutes_and_Ladders

"Chutes and Ladders is a metaphor for life. As such, it is arguably the most philosophical of all children's board games. [...] Because of its underlying philosophical nature, Chutes and Ladders has by far received the most acdemic attention of any board game."

"Since its introduction to the Western World by polymath Milton Bradley, Chutes and Ladders has been the most debated board game in all of academia."

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The Uncyclopedia is a fake wikipedia. All of the entries are farse. Please do not trust anything cited from there. – Charles Jun 18 '12 at 21:03
@Charles Indeed, but it's not much worse than citing anything from the wikimedia foundation as a primary source. Still, this is a good point. – shinyspoongod Jun 19 '12 at 20:58
@Kris That game is so frustrating. I used to play a version of it called "Snakes and Ladders" and I would almost always wind up hoping someone else would win just so the game would end, or else quitting. Do be careful on uncyclopedia, as they may lead you astray, as Charles mentioned. Of course I would never lead you astray: urbandictionary.com knowyourmeme.com tvtropes.org onegoodmove.org/fallacy I think I'm done here. – shinyspoongod Jun 19 '12 at 21:02

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