Be patient — they say the meek shall inherit the earth.
the meek shall inherit the earth
idiomThe gentle and humble will ultimately prevail over the powerful and arrogant.
Origin
The line is one of the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:5, and Jesus is quoting an older promise from Psalm 37:11. In the original, meek means not weak but restrained — those who do not grasp or force, who wait rather than seize.
The paradox is the point: the reward goes not to the strong who take what they want but to the patient and unassertive, an inversion of ordinary expectation that has kept the saying quotable for two thousand years.
In English the meek shall inherit the earth is used both sincerely and drily — sometimes as genuine consolation for the overlooked, sometimes with a raised eyebrow, doubting that the gentle really do come out ahead.
While the loud ones fought for credit, she just did the work, trusting that the meek shall inherit the earth.
The quiet engineer who had spent years fixing everyone else's mistakes was finally promoted over his showier rivals, and someone in the office muttered, only half joking, that the meek shall inherit the earth after all.
The Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount.
- 01
the salt of the earth (idiom)
Good, honest, dependable people who lack pretension.
- 02
a wolf in sheep's clothing (idiom)
A dangerous or hostile person who hides behind a harmless, friendly appearance.
- 03
cast the first stone (idiom)
To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing oneself to be blameless.
- 04
go the extra mile (idiom)
To make an extra effort; to do a particularly good job.
- 05
turn the other cheek (idiom)
To accept punishment or injury without retaliating.
- 06
the blind leading the blind (idiom)
A situation in which someone incompetent is guiding others who are equally incompetent.