There but for the grace of God


there but for the grace of God (go I)

A phrase used when one has avoided a bad or unpleasant situation and credits the direction, blessings, or assistance of God (or some higher power). Wow, I could have been in that accident had I left the house earlier. There but for the grace of God go I.See also: but, god, grace, of, there

There but for the grace of God (go I).

Prov. I would likely have experienced or done the same bad thing if God had not been watching over me. (You can say this to refer to someone who has had bad luck; implies that the person is no less virtuous than you are but is now miserable purely because of bad luck, which might happen to you as well.) Jill: Ever since Julia's house burned down, she's been drinking heavily; she'll probably lose her job because of it. Jane: There but for the grace of God.... Whenever Sally saw a beggar, she thought, "There but for the grace of God go I."See also: but, god, grace, of, there

there but for the grace of ˈGod (go ˈI)

(saying) used to say that you could easily have been in the same difficult or unpleasant situation that somebody else is in: Whenever I think of poor Fran and her problems, I think there but for the grace of God go I. Grace in this expression refers to the kindness that God shows towards the human race.See also: but, god, grace, of, there