I'm looking for the Japanese origin of the saying

> Normal is the most difficult.

I believe the longhand version would be

> Normality in life is the most difficult state/condition to attain/sustain.

Any idea what the original in Japanese may be?

I've heard this sentence in English many times from a Japanese person from
Nagasaki area (Kyushu), so I guess it was a translation of a Japanese saying
or a proverb. Would be great to know what the original sounds/reads like.
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2020-09-04T21:09:56.967
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2020-09-06T06:10:54.770
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question
meaning translation etymology daily-life proverbs
Normal is the most difficult" -- origin in Japanese?
I often hear such a phrase like 当たり前のことが一番難しい, which roughly says "Ordinary
things are the most difficult (to do)".

I don't know if it is a fixed saying, as I searched Google I found many
variations in wording e.g.
「当たり前が～」「～ことをするのが～」「当たり前のことを当たり前にやる（の／こと）が～」「当たり前のことほど～」 and so on. It seems
considered to be a witty quote so that is printed on [a novelty
T-shirt](http://www.oreryu-souhonke.jp/SHOP/4573185319947.html).

Some attribute this to [a famous
pâtissier](http://meigen.ko2ko2.net/2009/05/0142.html), but to be honest I
doubt he is the real inventor of this phrase.
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2020-09-05T05:47:47.067
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answer