- English translation
The ship will make land in the end, even if it washes up in pieces.
- Literal wording
Its fate is to come to the shore, even if as planks.
- Meaning and lesson
Every venture must end up somewhere. Like a ship that will reach the coast whether it sails in safely or drifts in as scattered planks from a wreck, any matter eventually comes to rest at its final state, and no amount of delay or turmoil keeps it suspended forever.
The saying holds two outcomes together: arrival may be intact or broken, but arrival itself is certain. It promises no good result. Instead it carries a note of acceptance, inviting the listener to stop fretting over whether a thing will end and to brace for the possibility that it ends badly.
- When it is used
Fits moments of waiting or resignation, to say a drawn-out or troubled matter will conclude one way or another. It is not simple encouragement: it can calm impatience or prepare a listener for a damaged result, depending on whether the speaker stresses arrival or ruin.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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