He that hath shipped the devil must make the best of him.
Meaning: Once committed to a dangerous course, you must proceed with full effort rather than abandon hope midway.
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 Challenge
- Make not the devil blacker than he is. — Don't exaggerate someone's faults or paint them worse than reality warrants.
- He needs must go that the devil drives. — Desperation compels action when circumstances leave no choice but obedience to dire neces…
- The devil is not always at one door. — Misfortune strikes unpredictably from different directions, so vigilance must extend ever…
- You may draw him which way you will, with a twine thread. — Gentle persuasion guides willing hearts more effectively than force ever could.
- A drowning man will catch at a straw. — Desperation drives people to grasp at even the most fragile solutions when facing catastr…
- Drink water like an ox, wine like a king of Spain. — Quench thirst with plain necessity; reserve indulgence for rare, celebratory moments.
From our idioms
- être dos au mur — To be in a desperate situation with no way to retreat or escape.
- se mettre la rate au court-bouillon — To worry pointlessly and obsessively over something.
- prendre à la gorge — To seize someone or something forcefully; to make breathing or speech difficult; to trigg…