ProverbWisdomEnglish origin

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.

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