APAD:If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed..

來源: 2024-01-13 05:20:48 [博客] [舊帖] [給我悄悄話] 本文已被閱讀:

The full phrase as:
         If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain
What's the meaning of the phrase 'If the mountain will not come to Muhammad' ?

The proverbial phrase 'If the mountain will not come to Muhammad...' means that , if one's will does not prevail, one must submit to an alternative.

 

Etymology

An ellipsis (anapodoton) of the apocryphal phrase "if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain," coined in a story by Francis Bacon.