He that hires the horse must ride before.
Meaning: The person who pays for something bears responsibility for using it first or bearing its initial risks.
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 Wisdom
- Trash and trumpery is the highway to beggary. — Frivolous spending on worthless goods inevitably leads to financial ruin and poverty.
- When two ride together one must ride behind. — Hierarchies emerge naturally when people work jointly; someone must defer or follow the o…
- Let the best dog leap the stile first. — Merit should determine priority; the most capable should lead the way.
- The better the day, the better the deed. — Good fortune amplifies moral responsibility—prosperity demands virtue, not vice.
- Every bird must hatch her own egg. — Each creature bears sole responsibility for nurturing what they themselves have created o…
- One beats the bush and another catcheth the bird. — One person's labor enables another's gain, rewarding the opportunist over the worker.
From our tongue twisters
- Zehn zahme Ziegen ziehen zehn Zentner Zucker zum Zoo. — A sustained 'z' / 'ts' drill — every word starts with the same affricate.
- Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen nach. — Fliegen means 'flies' (insects), 'to fly', and 'flying' — all at once, relentlessly.
- Der Cottbuser Postkutscher putzt den Cottbuser Postkutschkasten. — A jaw-breaking compound-noun 'ts/tsch/sch' marathon — the German love of compound words w…