Do what thou ought, let come what may.
Meaning: Fulfill your moral duties regardless of feared consequences or uncertain outcomes.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Fais ce que dois, advienne que pourra (literally: Do what you ought, come what may)
- Spanish: Haz lo que debes y sea lo que Dios quiera (literally: Do what you ought, and let it be what God wills)
- Japanese: 人事を尽くして天命を待つ (Jinji wo tsukushite tenmei wo matsu) (literally: Do all that is humanly possible, then await heaven's decree)
- German: Tue recht und scheue niemand (literally: Do right and fear no one)
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