To turn over a new leaf
Meaning
To make a fresh start or significantly change one's behavior for the better.
Origin
Imagine an old ledger or an early printed book from the 16th century. If you’d filled a page with errors, bad entries, or perhaps even scribbled some regrettable notes, what was your immediate solution? You simply turned over that 'leaf'—that is, the page—to reveal a fresh, clean one, ready for new, unblemished entries. This literal act of flipping to a new page, leaving the mistakes of the previous one out of sight and out of mind, quickly blossomed into a powerful metaphor for personal change. It became the ultimate symbolic declaration of intent: to cast aside past faults and begin a fresh chapter in one's life, just as a scribe would pick up their quill on an untouched sheet.
Examples
- After a challenging year, John decided to turn over a new leaf and focus on his health and well-being.
- Many people use the New Year as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and set ambitious personal goals.