ProverbHuman Nature
Japanese origin
Japanese origin弘法筆を選ばず (Kōbō fude wo erabazu)
Meaning: A true master does good work whatever the tools.
Literally: Kōbō does not choose his brush
Example: “安いギターでも彼女の演奏は見事だ。弘法筆を選ばずだね。” — Even on a cheap guitar her playing is superb: a good workman never blames his tools.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and 3 more languages
English: A bad workman always blames his tools
French: Les mauvais ouvriers ont toujours de mauvais outils (literally: Bad workers always have bad tools)
Spanish: El mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma (literally: The bad scribe blames the pen)
German: Wenn der Reiter nichts taugt, ist das Pferd schuld (literally: When the rider is no good, the horse gets the blame)
Portuguese: O mau artífice culpa a ferramenta (literally: The bad craftsman blames the tool)
Dutch: Een kwaad werkman vindt nooit goed gereedschap (literally: A bad workman never finds good tools)
Russian: Нечего на зеркало пенять, коли рожа крива (Nechego na zerkalo penyat', koli rozha kriva) (literally: Don't blame the mirror if your face is crooked)
Polish: Złej baletnicy przeszkadza i rąbek u spódnicy (literally: A bad ballerina is hindered even by the hem of her skirt)
Origin: Kōbō Daishi is the posthumous name of the monk Kūkai (774–835), one of the Three Brush masters of Japanese calligraphy. Its companion proverb, 弘法にも筆の誤り, says that even Kōbō makes a slip of the brush.
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