
ProverbChallenge
English origin1546
He needs must go that the devil drives.
Meaning: Desperation compels action when circumstances leave no choice but obedience to dire necessity.
Origin: John Heywood's 1546 collection has "he must needs go that the devil drives," and the clown in Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well repeats it. It means that circumstances force your hand; the modern shorthand is simply "needs must."
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