72% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
Documented English proverb: Robert Herrick's Hesperides (1648) carries poem #752 titled 'No Pains, No Gains' ('If little labour, little are our gains'); Franklin's 1734 Poor Richard has 'There are no gains, without pains.' The clipped modern form spread in the 20th century.
Occasion
1982 · popularised as a catchphrase in Jane Fonda's aerobics videos
Sources checked
en.wikipedia.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Traces Herrick 1650, Franklin 1758, and the 1980s Fonda popularization of the exact modern phrase
