Beggars can't be choosers
Meaning: When you need help, you accept what's offered.
Origin: John Heywood's 1546 collection gives it as "Beggars should be no choosers." Someone living on charity takes what is offered, not what they would prefer, and the phrase is now used for anyone in too weak a position to bargain.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Qui est dans le besoin n'a pas le choix (literally: Who is in need has no choice)
- Spanish: A caballo regalado no se le mira el diente (literally: Don't look at the teeth of a gifted horse)
- Japanese: 贅沢は言えない (Zeitaku wa ienai) (literally: One cannot afford luxury)
- German: In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen (literally: In times of need, the devil eats flies)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- It takes a village to raise a child — Community support is essential for child development.
- One man's trash is another man's treasure — What one person discards, another may value.
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder — Being apart makes you appreciate someone more.
- There's no place like home — Home is where you feel most comfortable.
- You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink — You can offer help, but you can't force someone to accept it.
- Misery loves company — Unhappy people seek others who are also suffering.