ProverbPerseveranceEnglish origin

Get thy spindle and thy distaff ready, and God will send thee flax.

Meaning: Prepare your tools and skills; opportunity arrives only for those already equipped to seize it.

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.

Explore another collection: Idioms

Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.

  • bei der Stange halten to keep someone obedient, loyal, or in line through discipline or pressure.
  • keine zehn Pferde nothing could force or move one; obstinate refusal or immovable determination.
  • mundtot machen to silence or suppress someone; to rob them of the ability or right to speak.

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