
ProverbChallenge
English origin
If one will not, another will.
Meaning: Refusing an opportunity doesn't eliminate it; someone else will eagerly seize what you reject.
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: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Ikigai The thing that makes you want to get out of bed — the intersection of what you love, what…
- Ma The meaningful negative space between things — a deliberate pause in music, an empty room…
- Natsukashii A warm, nostalgic rush triggered by something from the past — a smell, a song, a sight. N…
Keep exploring