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There is a proverb that goes something like "even God doesn't help the fool".

I cannot remember the exact proverb. Can anyone help me get the exact one?

tchrist
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ontherocks
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  • For the opposite, see https://www.quora.com/What-verse-is-it-that-say-God-takes-care-of-fools-and-babies – GEdgar Aug 12 '18 at 16:39
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    The actual proverbs in English and most languages are that "God does help fools /children/drunkards/the United States of America/etc". Is this from another language? or something Biblical where the Hebrew was badly translated and they're really talking about atheists and the unbelieving? – lly Aug 12 '18 at 16:41
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    Are you thinking of "God helps those who help themselves"? – Wordster Aug 12 '18 at 16:52
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    Maybe Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain. That's thousands of hits in Google Books, but I think the original was actually in German. Personally, I've always used *struggle* there, rather than *contend*, but I see from my Google Books searches that I'm in the minority on that front. – FumbleFingers Aug 12 '18 at 16:54
  • As with just about any issue where there can be two perspectives, the Bible plays safe and endorses both. Somewhere it says that God looks after those who can't look after themselves (fools, children, or whatever). Somewhere else it says that if someone has lots (of money, wisdom, whatever), God will heap even more goodies on him. – FumbleFingers Aug 12 '18 at 17:27
  • How long did you spend with Google and some thesauruses, and what major search terms failed to produce any result, please? – Robbie Goodwin Aug 25 '18 at 23:53
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    @Wordster: Schiller: "Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens." – GEdgar Nov 10 '18 at 22:21
  • @GEdgar: LOL! True! – Wordster Nov 10 '18 at 22:42

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The fool will get lashed even in the church (translation from Latvian). I will not give a direct translation from Russian, but an idiomatic one. Give a peace of advice to a fool a he will blame you afterwards (in Russian there was a God involved). Why do I mention these? Firstly, the uniting idea is - help yourself and then the God will take care of you. If you knowingly get into trouble, don't blame anyone else. Secondly, you can use these equivalents, which carry similar lexical meaning, but with slight nuances. A real good and quotable Quote you may use is said by “God has a special providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America.”

― Otto von Bismarck

Sources: the citation of Otto von Bismark a source with a phrase context given

So, this was from Bismark, the other two and your examples about Good and fool is not from a Bible; these are proverbs which vary among national folklore.

Loronzo
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Proverbs 28:26 King James Version (KJV)

26 "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."

Sylomun Weah
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