- English translation
Whoever can't manage his own affairs puts it all down to fate.
- Literal wording
The one who is incapable in managing [affairs] refers [the matter] to the destinies.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb exposes a familiar habit of self-justification. A person who lacks the skill or foresight to arrange their affairs, once things go wrong, points to fate or destiny as the cause. That spares them from admitting their own poor management.
The implied lesson is that appeals to fate can be a refuge for incompetence. Sound planning and effort are expected first. Blaming destiny for an outcome one could have shaped is treated as evasion, a last resort for someone with no better answer. Its target is fate used as an excuse, not belief in divine decree itself.
- When it is used
Used critically about someone who explains away a failure as bad luck or destiny when weak planning or poor effort was the real cause. It can also serve as a reminder to oneself to prepare carefully rather than lean on fate afterward.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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