Beggars on horseback will ride to the devil.

Meaning: Sudden wealth corrupts those unaccustomed to fortune, driving them toward ruin through excess.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Challenge

Begging is an ill trade on a fast-day. — Alms-giving diminishes on religious fast-days when even the charitable are themselves abs…
Fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple. — Don't obsess over minor possessions when greater structures—relationships, principles, li…
The bird that can sing and will not sing, must be made to sing. — Talent unused is wasted potential; those capable of contributing must be compelled to ful…
Who so blind as he that will not see? — Willful ignorance is the most complete blindness; refusing truth is worse than lacking it.
Whether you boil snow or pound it, you will have but water from it. — Effort cannot change the fundamental nature of something inherently worthless or insignif…
It is easy to bowl down hill. — Gravity assists destructive momentum, making harm effortless once negative forces align.

Loading the full interactive collection…