The tide will fetch away what the ebb brings.
Meaning: Fortunes gained easily through circumstance will inevitably be lost when conditions reverse.
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
- Set trees poor, and they will grow rich; set them rich, and they will grow poor. — Excessive initial resources weaken plants' root development, while hardship forces them t…
- Use the means, and God will give the blessing. — Diligent effort and practical action create the conditions where fortunate outcomes can n…
- The vicar of Bray will be vicar of Bray still. — A pragmatist adapts his principles to survive whoever holds power, ensuring his position…
- Make the vine poor, and it will make you rich. — Pruning grapevines severely forces them to concentrate resources into fewer, higher-quali…
- Vows made in storms are forgotten in calms. — Emotional commitments pledged during crisis dissolve once danger passes and circumstances…
- War, hunting, and law, are as full of trouble as pleasure. — Life's most engaging pursuits inevitably mix hardship with satisfaction, demanding we acc…
From our idioms
- off the beaten path — Off the road or way that is most often chosen by other people.
- off the cuff — Without much advance preparation; spontaneously.
- off the wall — Unusual; peculiar.