What it means
پشت کوه سفید قله است (poshte kuhe sefid qolle ast) means “behind the white (snowy) mountain stands the peak.” Iranians use it to encourage someone close to giving up.
How to use it
- ادامه بده، پشت کوه سفید قله است (edâme bedeh, poshte kuhe sefid qolle ast) “Keep going, the peak is just behind”
- سختترین قسمتش گذشته (sakht-tarin qesmatesh gozashte) “The hardest part is past”
- پشت این کوه قله است (poshte in kuh qolle ast) “The peak is behind this mountain”
The literal meaning
A climber sees a snow-covered slope ahead and thinks the white wall is the destination. In fact, the true peak rises just beyond it; the white face is only the last hard stretch.
The figurative meaning
The hardest part of any project (the dissertation final chapter, the last mile of a marathon, the last week of a difficult treatment) is also the closest to the goal. Don’t quit at the white wall.
When you’d say it
A coach says it to a student athlete who is ready to abandon training a month before a competition.
Cultural note
The proverb resonates with Iran’s mountain geography: the Alborz and Zagros loom over daily life, and کوهنوردی (kuh-navardi, mountain hiking) is a Friday tradition for Tehrani families heading to Tochâl or Darband. The image of the false summit is literal for anyone who has climbed those trails.
References
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