Pride will have a fall.
Pride will have a fall.
Meaning in plain English
Overconfidence or arrogance can leave someone unprepared for a setback. Success is more secure when confidence allows room for limits, advice and correction.
Example
A successful project lead dismisses testing as unnecessary and later has to repair a preventable failure that colleagues had warned about.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The fall follows pride because a person who feels above error may stop listening or checking their assumptions. The proverb warns about that vulnerability rather than condemning all satisfaction in an achievement. Healthy confidence can support good work; arrogance makes it harder to notice when help or change is needed. The saying may be useful before a mistake, when it encourages humility and preparation. Used after someone’s misfortune, it can become a cruel claim that they deserved it. A setback alone does not establish that pride caused the result.
When to use it
Use it to encourage humility when success is making someone dismiss caution or advice.
Keep in mind
Not every failure results from arrogance, and taking justified pride in good work is not itself a fault.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1293 · Pride
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 ↗