Sorrow comes unsent for, and, like the unbidden guest, brings his own stool.
Meaning: Uninvited suffering arrives on its own terms, requiring no preparation and creating its own accommodations regardless of readiness.
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 Wisdom
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- Who sows in May gets little that way. — Late planting yields poor harvests; timing matters as much as effort in agriculture and l…
- Tis too late, to spare when the bottom is bare. — Delaying financial restraint until resources are depleted renders frugality pointless and…
- It is better to spare at the brim than the bottom. — Preventing waste from the start costs less effort than trying to recover what's already b…
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From our compliments & insults
- Schlauberger — A know-it-all smartass who never misses a chance to show off their cleverness.
- Dickkopf — A pig-headed, unyielding person — their skull is so thick no new idea can penetrate it.
- 空気が読めない (kūki ga yomenai) — Completely oblivious to the unspoken social mood — the person who kills the atmosphere wi…