
ProverbWisdom
Spanish originc. 1500
When one door shuts another opens.
Meaning: Loss creates unexpected opportunities; closing one path often reveals alternatives previously unseen.
Origin: The saying came from Spain. Fernando de Rojas's La Celestina (c. 1500) says that when one door closes, fortune usually opens another. It reached English in the 1586 translation of the Spanish novel Lazarillo de Tormes, and again in the 1620 English translation of Don Quixote. It is offered as consolation after a loss — some other opportunity will come.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- Fourrer son nez dans les affaires de quelqu'un To meddle or pry indiscreetly into someone else's affairs.
- Griller les neurones To fry one's brain; to damage or wear out one's mental faculties.
- Remettre en selle To help someone recover a former position or regain their footing after a setback.
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