ProverbHuman NatureSpanish origin

El mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma

Meaning: People who lack skill blame their tools.

Literally: The bad scribe blames the pen

Example: “Dice que perdió por culpa de las zapatillas. El mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma.” — He says he lost because of his shoes: a bad workman always blames his tools.

Equivalents in English, French, Japanese, German, Portuguese, and 3 more languages

  • English: A bad workman always blames his tools
  • French: Les mauvais ouvriers ont toujours de mauvais outils (literally: Bad workers always have bad tools)
  • Japanese: 弘法筆を選ばず (Kōbō fude wo erabazu) (literally: Kōbō does not choose his brush)
  • German: Wenn der Reiter nichts taugt, ist das Pferd schuld (literally: When the rider is no good, the horse gets the blame)
  • Portuguese: O mau artífice culpa a ferramenta (literally: The bad craftsman blames the tool)
  • Dutch: Een kwaad werkman vindt nooit goed gereedschap (literally: A bad workman never finds good tools)
  • Russian: Нечего на зеркало пенять, коли рожа крива (Nechego na zerkalo penyat', koli rozha kriva) (literally: Don't blame the mirror if your face is crooked)
  • Polish: Złej baletnicy przeszkadza i rąbek u spódnicy (literally: A bad ballerina is hindered even by the hem of her skirt)

Origin: In the age of quill pens the scribe's tool was the pen, and a clumsy hand blamed the quill for the blots.

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