ProverbChallenge
English origin
English originHe that will not go over the stile must be thrust through the gate.
Meaning: Stubbornness in resisting one path merely ensures forced submission through a harder, more humiliating alternative route.
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.
- out of the woods Out of danger; out of a very difficult situation.
- over the top Beyond expectations; outside normal or accepted boundaries; exaggerated.
- over a barrel In a difficult situation or position.
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