Meaning & Analysis
A person is not completely defeated if they still have one remaining chance or opportunity to act.
Insights
Hope in Desperation
Even in apparent failure, the presence of a single remaining chance means that all is not lost. The proverb instills hope and encourages perseverance despite adversity.
Strategic Patience
Symbolizes the value of holding onto a final move or resource—suggesting that timing and restraint can turn the tide when used wisely, especially in critical moments.
Psychological Resilience
Emphasizes the inner strength to endure until the end. The final 'throw' becomes a symbol of personal agency, reminding us that as long as we can act, defeat is not total.
Gaming and Life Metaphor
Draws from gambling or dice games, where each 'throw' can reverse fortune. In this way, the proverb reflects the unpredictability of life and the enduring human belief in sudden reversals of fate.
Moral Encouragement in Uncertainty
This saying would have comforted people in times of war, illness, or loss—urging them to act rather than despair. It validates cautious optimism and tenacious action.
Faith in the Final Moment
Echoes a theological or existential notion that redemption or success may come in the final moment, encouraging a kind of faithful persistence even when odds are grim.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The 'throw to cast' metaphor abstractly represents chance, effort, or decision—giving the proverb symbolic richness that extends beyond gaming into broader life applications.
Antithesis
Contrasts the idea of total loss ('lost all') with the sliver of hope ('one throw'), creating tension and emotional resonance within a concise phrase.
Conditional Clause
The proverb implies a condition—that as long as something remains to be tried, the situation is not beyond hope—instilling a forward-looking outlook.
Transcription
Quotations
(He hath not mist that hath).
He hath not yet lost, who hath once to throw more.
(that has).
Related Proverbs
Original Scan

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