ProverbPerseveranceEnglish origin1834

Trust in God, and keep your powder dry.

Meaning: Maintain faith while preparing pragmatically for conflict; spiritual confidence shouldn't replace practical readiness.

Often credited to: Oliver Cromwell, but it first appears in a poem by William Blacker

Origin: Attributed to Oliver Cromwell, supposedly addressing his army during the invasion of Ireland. No record from Cromwell's time confirms it: the line first appears in "Oliver's Advice," a poem by William Blacker published in the Dublin University Magazine in 1834 — "Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry!" Faith is good, but soldiers should keep their gunpowder dry all the same.

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