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.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- He that's down, down with him. — Mercy vanishes when someone loses power; people instinctively abandon the fallen to suffe…
- Pour not water on a drowned mouse. — Pointless effort wastes resources when the situation is already beyond remedy.
- A drunken night makes a cloudy morning. — Excess indulgence tonight guarantees regret and impaired judgment tomorrow.
- Dry bread at home is better than roast beef abroad. — Humble contentment in familiar surroundings surpasses luxury experienced in exile or disp…
- A dry cough is the trumpeter of death. — Persistent coughing, though seemingly minor, signals serious underlying illness requiring…
- A pennyworth of ease is worth a penny. — Small comforts earned through modest effort repay their cost in improved wellbeing and co…
From our idioms
- n’avoir qu’à bien se tenir — A warning or threat implying that one must behave properly or face consequences.
- battre les fourrés — To range far and wide in search of adventure or chance encounters.
- donner du poing sur la table — To express strong disagreement or disapproval with a situation.