Banging your head against a brick wall

It means continuing to do something that seems impossible or very difficult, even when there are no tangible results.

YouTube / iTunes / Spotify / Radio Public / Pocket Casts / Breaker / Overcast

Listen to ArtisanEnglish.jp posts & lesson intros here.




Idiom: Banging your head against a brick wall

The Idiom banging your head against a brick wall is a common English idiom.


It means continuing to do something that seems impossible or very difficult, even when there are no tangible results.


Imagine crashing into a wall that will never break; no matter how hard you try, nothing changes.

Use this idiom when you feel frustrated by a situation that does not improve, no matter how many times you try. 

Many people say they feel like they’re banging their heads against a brick wall when discussing difficult or seemingly impossible tasks.

For example, if you are learning a new language and you keep making the same mistake, you might say, “I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall here!”

It describes the frustration of trying and failing but not giving up. 

Learning something new, like playing an instrument or mastering a sport, often feels like banging your head against a brick wall.

You might practice for hours and see little progress at first.

However, this feeling of banging your head against a brick wall is a natural part of learning.

Success comes from perseverance.

You also have to remind yourself that if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

After some time, you realize that all those moments spent banging your head against a brick wall helped you grow stronger and more skilled. 

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Eventually, you break through the wall and achieve your goal. 

While the feeling of banging your head against a brick wall can be discouraging, it’s important to remember that persistence pays off.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!

You will eventually succeed, even if it sometimes feels like you are banging your head against a brick wall.


Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).  

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 75.  

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.