The door of opportunity

[Glen]

The door of opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition.

La puerta de la oportunidad balancea por el quicio de la oposición sounds too literal. Any better way to say it?

[aleCcowaN]

[Quicio is the doorjamb where the hinges are]

The phrase of Bob Jones, Sr. was "The door to the room of success swings on the hinges of opposition" which I would translate as "La puerta que da al éxito bascula sobre los goznes del antagonismo" or "...de la resistencia", depending on what the heck he wanted to say.

[Glen]

Thanks aleC. I had no idea it was that guy who coined it.

How could I modify it to "door of opportunity" in place of "...to the room of success"?

[JPablo]

Yo diría: "La puerta de la oportunidad"... y ya sabes el viejo dicho: "La ocasión la pintan calva"... ;-)

Y aquí el que no corre, ¡vuela!

[aleCcowaN]

"La puerta (que da/ por la que se accede) al éxito..." becomes "La puerta que abre paso a la oportunidad...". I don't know how it is in English, but in Spanish we feel the need to stylize it as a dynamic process and not as declarations and labels. What doesn't leave me 100% satisfied is that "... que abre paso a la oportunidad..." means both you can go through and reach the opportunity or that opportunity can go through and come to you. That's the problem with doors: they work both ways ... maybe, I'm buscándole el pelo al huevo (splitting hairs) .