Man doth what he can, and God what He will.
Meaning: Effort and intention matter, yet outcomes ultimately depend on forces beyond human control.
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
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- He that will too soon be his own master, will have a fool for his scholar. — Rejecting wise guidance to govern yourself prematurely ensures you'll learn only from you…
- There's a medium between painting the face and not washing it. — Moderation in self-presentation avoids both vanity's excess and neglect's impropriety.
- Cry you mercy, who killed my cat? — Blaming someone for a minor loss while ignoring your own serious wrongs reveals misplaced…
- Mettle is dangerous in a blind horse. — A horse without sight cannot safely channel its spirited strength, making boldness reckle…
- Milk which will not be made into butter must be made into cheese. — When one path to profit closes, resourcefulness demands you pursue an alternative use for…
From our tongue twisters
- Flyg, fula fluga, flyg! Och den fula flugan flög. — An 'fl' cluster repeated through three different vowels — y, u and ö, all of them front r…
- De koetsier poetst de postkoets met postkoetspoets. — Turns on the gap between the Dutch 'oe' and 'o', with a run of 'ts' and 'p' stops layered…
- Wij smachten naar achtentachtig prachtige nachten. — Five words carrying the Dutch guttural 'cht', the sound foreigners find hardest to produc…