Johnny-come-quickly

Also: Johnny-come-early

The opposite of a Johnny-come-lately. A Johnny-come-quickly is someone who is very early to catch on to a trend or stand up to an established social convention, usually the the point where they will be mocked, ridiculed, and possibly even persecuted in their own lifetime. In the end, of course, they are often proven correct, as shown by the eventual acceptance and mainstreamization of their position by Johnnies-come-lately.

While Johnnies-come lately are socially adept enough to pick up on logical cues from the world around them and adapt with the times, Johnnies-come-quickly are guided less by such rational logic and more so by an overwhelming sense of conviction in the truth of their beliefs. A Johnny-come-quickly is by definition extremely courageous because they are taking a position that is extremely unpopular.

Some examples of Johnnies-come-quickly throughout history include the the first people to posit a heliocentric solar system, the first proponents of a round earth, the first people to question the authority of the Church and of religion in general, and the first to take progressive stances on the rights of women and LGBT people.

While he faced ridicule and failure in his own lifetime, Leonardo Da Vinci’s dreams of the seemingly impossible notion of flight were eventually borne out, thus ensuring his pioneering legacy as a true Johnny-come-quickly