Give a man luck, and throw him into the sea.
Meaning: A fortunate person survives even desperate circumstances through chance alone, regardless of skill or preparation.
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.
More proverbs about Human Nature
- A man at five may be a fool at fifteen. — Early promise in childhood offers no guarantee of wisdom or competence during adolescence.
- A man must sell his ware at the rate of the market. — Accept prevailing conditions rather than resist them; pricing yourself against market rea…
- Marriage halves our griefs, and doubles our joys. — Shared burdens become lighter while shared happiness multiplies through the intimate part…
- No man is his craft's master the first day. — Expertise requires sustained practice and time; immediate mastery is impossible regardles…
- No man can serve two masters. — Divided loyalty corrupts both commitments; choose one primary allegiance or fail them all.
- Meat is much, but manners is more. — Generosity means little without courtesy; how you give matters more than what you give.
From our tongue twisters
- O peito do pé de Pedro é preto. — Five 'p' words in a row, with the vowels shifting underneath each one.
- A aranha arranha a rã. A rã arranha a aranha. — Contrasts the soft single r of aranha against the hard rolled rr of arranha — one letter…
- 네가 그린 기린 그림은 못 그린 기린 그림이고 내가 그린 기린 그림은 잘 그린 기린 그림이다. (Nega geurin girin geurimeun mot geurin girin geurimigo, naega geurin girin geurimeun jal geurin girin geurimida.) — geurin, girin and geurim rotate through nearly the same syllables with only the vowel mov…