there but for the grace of God go I

English

Etymology

Allegedly from a mid-sixteenth-century statement by John Bradford, "There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford", in reference to a group of prisoners being led to execution.

Proverb

there but for the grace of God go I

1. A recognition that others' misfortune could be one's own, if it weren't for the blessing/kindness/luck bestowed by fate or the Divine.
2. Man's fate is in God's hands.
3. More generally, our fate is not entirely in our own hands.

Usage notes

• This proverb is an expression of humility; in using it, a speaker acknowledges that outside factors (such as God's grace, or his upbringing) have played a role in his success in life.
• The adverbial phrase is often set off with commas: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

Translations