proverb · Words worth keeping
Where the will is ready, the feet are light.
Where the will is ready, the feet are light.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Willing participation can make an action feel easier to begin. Light feet picture the energy associated with wanting to take part.
What the words are saying
The ready will is connected with movement that seems less burdensome. It can celebrate enthusiasm for a useful task. Desire does not erase fatigue, disability or practical limits, and someone who moves slowly may be just as committed. A careful reading appreciates willingness without using visible speed or cheerfulness as a test of sincerity.
Everyday example
A person eager to help begins a manageable part of the work while honestly explaining the limits of their time and energy.
When to use it
Use it to appreciate willing participation without measuring it only by outward pace.
What it does not mean
Enthusiasm does not remove limits, and slow action does not prove unwillingness.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or 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
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1775 · Will (ready)
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English