- English translation
The person who made the mess should be the one to sort it out.
- Literal wording
Whoever ties a knot unties it.
- Meaning and lesson
Responsibility for repairing a problem falls first on the person who created it. The saying stresses that the maker of an entanglement usually understands its details better than anyone else.
Its image of tying and untying a knot refers broadly to causing and resolving a difficulty, rather than necessarily to a literal knot. It can also resist shifting blame or work onto bystanders.
- When it is used
Use it when someone has caused a complication and should take the lead in resolving it, especially when they know how the situation arose. It may be practical advice or a pointed reminder of personal responsibility.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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