None is so wise but the fool overtakes him sometimes.
Meaning: Even the cleverest person occasionally errs, while chance may grant unexpected advantage to the foolish.
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 Perseverance
- Pardon all men, but never thyself. — Holding yourself to stricter standards than others builds personal integrity through self…
- Patience is a flower that grows not in every one's garden. — Not everyone possesses the inner discipline to cultivate patience; it requires deliberate…
- Patience is a plaister for all sores. — Persistent endurance gradually heals even the deepest wounds, both physical and emotional.
- He that pays last never pays twice. — Delaying payment until creditors forget their claims is the debtor's strategy for permane…
- A penny in my purse will bid me drink when all my friends I have will not. — Money alone ensures hospitality where friendship fails, revealing commerce's reliability…
- He that will not stoop for a pin, shall never be worth a point. — Neglecting small savings and modest gains through pride ensures poverty and failure.
From our idioms
- stand on one's own two feet — To be independent and self-supporting.
- stick one's neck out — To take a risk.
- stick one's nose in — To try to find out about someone else's private business.