If anything can go wrong, it will.
If anything can go wrong, it will.
Meaning in plain English
The saying turns the possibility of something going wrong into a certainty. It voices a pessimistic expectation of failure.
Example
A planner checks likely failure points while allowing that the project may succeed.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Can and will make the shift from possibility to prediction explicit. A useful application can prompt consideration of failure points without accepting inevitability. The phrase does not establish a probability or mean that preparation is pointless.
When to use it
Use it to examine pessimistic expectations and practical preparation.
Keep in mind
Possible failure is not certain failure; no probability is established.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 178; PDF page 30
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Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
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