The devil's children have the devil's luck.
Meaning: Mischievous or wicked people often succeed through audacity and circumstance rather than virtue.
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
- Man doth what he can, and God what He will. — Effort and intention matter, yet outcomes ultimately depend on forces beyond human contro…
- An ill marriage is a spring of ill fortune. — Poor marital compatibility creates cascading hardships affecting every aspect of one's li…
- 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…
From our idioms
- big fish in a small pond — A person who is considered important primarily because the place or setting is small.
- black sheep — An outcast.
- bug — To bother, annoy, or irritate mildly.