Explore English traditional proverbsReviewed 2026-10-01
Sense: Verified- Meaning and lesson
A person who willingly brings trouble into their affairs cannot expect it to become pleasant or easy. They must work with the situation they have created.
The proverb emphasizes practical acceptance rather than approval: after a choice has been made, the immediate task is to handle its difficulties as well as possible.
- When it is used
Use it when someone has chosen a troublesome partner, ally, or arrangement and must now make the best of it. It can convey wry advice or criticism, especially if the difficulty was foreseeable.
- Register
- Archaic proverbial phrasing
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: He that hath shipped the devil must make the best of him.