- English translation
“Why did you choose the bitter option?” “Because the alternative was worse.”
- Literal wording
“What drove you to the bitter thing?” He said, “Something more bitter than it.”
- Meaning and lesson
People may accept an unpleasant condition not because they prefer it, but because a harsher pressure leaves them with no better practical choice. The bitterness is figurative, referring to hardship or an unwelcome situation rather than literal taste.
It can explain why someone has taken refuge in an undesirable arrangement, place, or course of action. Its point is comparative: the present hardship is bearable only because what was avoided was even more severe, not because the chosen outcome is good or just.
- When it is used
Use it when a troubling choice seems puzzling until the greater difficulty behind it is recognized. It suits explanations of constrained decisions and reluctant compromises, rather than praise for seeking hardship or approval of the outcome.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: “Why did you choose the bitter option?” “Because the alternative was worse.”