A door must either be open or shut.
A door must either be open or shut.
Meaning in plain English
Some arrangements need a clear present decision rather than contradictory signals. Decide what applies now so that others can act with a shared understanding.
Example
A team says clearly whether registration is still open today and gives a review date instead of publishing conflicting instructions.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
An ordinary door cannot provide both full access and full closure at the same moment. As a proverb, the image points to decisions whose uncertainty prevents coordinated action. A useful response states what is currently agreed, who can rely on it and when it will be reviewed. Clarity need not make the decision permanent. The saying should also be tested against the real options: a door can be partly open, and many human questions allow conditional arrangements rather than the simple binary suggested by the image.
When to use it
Use it when conflicting signals leave people unsure what currently applies.
Keep in mind
Not every decision is binary. Conditional permission or a temporary arrangement may be the most accurate answer.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 22; French section, paragraph 445; source wording: Il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermée.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗