man proposes, God disposes

man proposes, God disposes

Humans may come up with any number of ambitious or ingenious plans or ideas, but, ultimately, forces outside of our control determine whether they fail or succeed. The sinking of the Titanic, the supposedly unsinkable ship, shows better than perhaps anything else that while man proposes, God disposes. We've given our very best to the project, and, at this point, it's up to fate whether things work out for us. Man proposes, God disposes.
See also: dispose, god, man
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Man proposes, God disposes.

Prov. People may make plans, but they cannot control the outcome of their plans. Jill: Are you really going to be able to finish writing your novel by the end of the year? Bob: Man proposes, God disposes.
See also: dispose, god, man
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • man proposes, and God disposes
  • man proposes, but God disposes
  • propose
  • think big
  • there are tricks in every trade
  • fall flat
  • stop at
  • stop at (something)
  • fail at life
  • have a light bulb go on in (one's) brain
References in periodicals archive
A number of examples can be quoted to support this claim, one of which is a line from the play Hamlet, 'There's a divinity that shapes our ends/ Rough-hew them how we will.' To make it simpler, it means, man proposes, God disposes. In the history of fine art, too, this acceptance of the Almighty has played a major role in promoting creative pursuits, resulting in materialisation of masterpieces that to date prove awe-inspiring for lovers and practitioners of art.
Art and divinity
'Man Proposes, God Disposes', is an old saying illustrating the principle of sovereignty of God over human life, and their victory in recent elections is an example of it as huge efforts were made by all the stake holders of Pakistan to keep the Chaudry family out of politics.
National Day of Czech Republic celebrated
I believe also, that the time has come again to move up to another level of my political career, but as I always say that man proposes, God disposes. One thing that is very important is that if I knew then, what I know now, I might have joined politics earlier, but everything comes in its own time.
Why I am offering myself for service -Adeneye, Ogun Commissioner for Information
"Man proposes, God disposes." The mystic Thomas a Kempis may have said it first.
Days of the King: sometimes the Bible reads like soap opera, but it still bears truth
But well, as we say in Ghana, "man proposes, God disposes".
Who are the people of Libya? "As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for socialism is its adherents" - George Orwell (aka Eric Arthur Blair)
The critic Christopher Ricks, for example, writing about Spark in 1968, commented that "Perhaps when man proposes, God disposes with as cool a disposition as Mrs.
Muriel Spark, RIP
A nerveless equanimity supports the author when he offers up careworn cliches ('Man proposes, God disposes') as the wisdom of ages.
Cultural Transactions: Nature, Self, Society
But I learn from The Private Collection of Edgar Degas (Abrams, pounds 50) that for poor Degas it was very much a question of man proposes, God disposes since his collections were sold off finally in 1918, while the bombs were falling on Paris and the museum never happened.
When hoarding became an art form; ANTIQUES