proverb · Words worth keeping
The clock goes as it pleases the clerk.
The clock goes as it pleases the clerk.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A person responsible for operating a system can influence how it behaves. The clock and clerk draw attention to the discretion behind an apparently fixed arrangement, without proving that every operator is acting unfairly.
Example
A group asks how its booking schedule is maintained and who approves changes, rather than assuming that the displayed calendar updates itself without decisions.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The clock seems to provide an impersonal measure, yet the saying makes its movement depend on the clerk’s pleasure. Figuratively, an arrangement presented as automatic or settled may still rely on choices made by the person administering it. The useful reading asks who sets the conditions, which discretion they have and how others can understand the process. The proverb does not establish misconduct merely because a person has responsibility for a system. Clear rules and careful administration may constrain that discretion. Its point is to notice the human decisions behind the mechanism rather than assume that the mechanism alone guarantees consistency or fairness.
When to use it
Use it when an apparently automatic process depends on an administrator’s choices.
Keep in mind
Responsibility is not proof of unfairness; examine actual discretion, rules and decisions before judging the operator.
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