The devil is not always at one door.
Meaning: Misfortune strikes unpredictably from different directions, so vigilance must extend everywhere, not fixate on single threats.
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.
Equivalents in French
- French: Le diable n’est pas toujours à la porte d’un pauvre homme (literally: The devil is not always at a poor man’s door)
More proverbs about Challenge
- You may draw him which way you will, with a twine thread. — Gentle persuasion guides willing hearts more effectively than force ever could.
- A drowning man will catch at a straw. — Desperation drives people to grasp at even the most fragile solutions when facing catastr…
- Drink water like an ox, wine like a king of Spain. — Quench thirst with plain necessity; reserve indulgence for rare, celebratory moments.
- He who drinks when he is not dry, will be dry when he has no drink. — Wasteful indulgence during abundance ensures deprivation when scarcity arrives.
- Drive not a second nail till the first is clenched. — Complete each task fully before beginning another, ensuring solid progress rather than sc…
- It is ill meddling with edged tools. — Dabbling with dangerous instruments without skill or caution invites injury and regret.
From our idioms
- faire florès — To achieve success and build a reputation.
- fuir comme la peste — To avoid something or someone as much as possible.
- beurrer épais — To exaggerate or overdo something.