One must pass through the door or the window.
One must pass through the door or the window.
Meaning in plain English
Reaching an objective may require choosing and using an available route. Naming alternatives is useful only when one of them leads to practical action.
Example
A community group cannot use its preferred venue, so it compares two suitable alternatives and books one in time for the event.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The door and window offer different openings, but remaining outside while considering them does not complete the passage. The proverb can be read as a prompt to stop waiting for an ideal route and select a workable one. Check what each option permits, what it costs and whether it respects the relevant rules. Resourcefulness is not an excuse to bypass someone’s boundaries. The image also simplifies the situation: real decisions may have more than two routes, including changing the objective or deciding not to enter.
When to use it
Use it when workable alternatives exist but indecision prevents action.
Keep in mind
A figurative alternative route does not justify intrusion or rule-breaking. The available options still need to be acceptable.
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 440; source wording: Il faut passer par la porte ou par la fenêtre.
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 ↗