Where misfortune befals injuries follow.
Where misfortune befals injuries follow.
Meaning in plain English
Injury following misfortune pictures a person facing further difficulties when already vulnerable. The saying invites attention to additional burdens rather than predicting them.
Example
A club offers a clear extension to a volunteer handling a disruption instead of adding penalties for every missed message.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The initial setback is followed by harm, giving adversity a compounding form. Someone dealing with one problem may have less time or support to resist another. A useful reading looks for ways to prevent avoidable secondary burdens and offer appropriate help. It does not establish a law that bad events must multiply, and it should not portray someone’s misfortune as their fault or as a reason to withdraw assistance.
When to use it
Use it when an existing setback may leave someone exposed to further avoidable difficulty.
Keep in mind
Further harm is not inevitable; do not blame or stigmatise a person already facing adversity.
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 5; French section, paragraph 87; source wording: A qui il meschet on lui meffaict.
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 ↗