proverb · Words worth keeping
He that is born to be hanged shall never be drowned.
He that is born to be hanged shall never be drowned.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying imagines a predetermined death by hanging preventing death by drowning. It turns one danger into an apparent escape through a claim of fixed destiny.
Example
A reader notices the logic of fixed fate in a story while refusing to treat it as a reason to disregard a real danger.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Born to be links an outcome to a person’s beginning, leaving little room for chance or choice. This can reveal fatalistic thinking: an expected end is treated as if it excludes other possibilities. A careful reading studies that belief without relying on it when facing danger or assuming anyone is destined for punishment.
When to use it
Use it to discuss fatalism in an extreme image.
Keep in mind
Predestination in the saying is not a safety guarantee or a judgment about a person’s worth.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English