Meaning & Analysis
A sailor skillfully adjusts the ship's sails to catch and utilize any wind, regardless of its direction, in order to maintain momentum and navigate effectively.
Insights
Pragmatic Adaptability
The proverb describes a person who is highly adaptable and opportunistic, altering their actions, allegiances, or principles to take advantage of any prevailing circumstance or shift in public opinion.
Unprincipled Opportunism
Viewed negatively, it characterizes someone who is unprincipled, fickle, and lacks conviction. Such a person shifts their loyalty to align with whoever is in power or whichever viewpoint is most popular at the moment.
Social and Political Dexterity
It can be seen as a strategy for navigating complex social or political environments. Success depends on being perceptive to changes in power and influence, and adjusting one's own position to ensure survival or advancement.
Resourcefulness in Adversity
In a more positive light, it can describe a resourceful and resilient individual who makes the best of any situation, finding a way to progress toward their goals no matter the conditions.
Maritime Metaphor for Social Navigation
The proverb draws on the powerful and historically vital imagery of sailing. In an age dependent on wind power for commerce, exploration, and warfare, the skillful mariner who could harness any wind was a master of their craft. This proverb transfers this maritime pragmatism to the social and political seas, where 'winds' represent shifting fortunes, political favor, or public opinion.
Courtly and Political Prudence
Shakespeare's use in 'King Lear', where the Fool warns that one must 'smile as the wind sits' or 'catch cold', perfectly encapsulates the proverb's cynical wisdom. It highlights the necessity of adapting one's loyalties and outward behavior to the prevailing power structure, especially in treacherous political environments like a royal court.
Psychology of Survival vs. Integrity
The proverb explores the psychological tension between integrity and pragmatism. It implicitly questions whether it is better to be a steadfast oak, potentially broken by the storm, or a flexible reed that bends with the wind and survives. It speaks to the 'social chameleon' archetype, a person who thrives by mirroring their environment.
Rhetorical Devices
Controlling Metaphor
The entire phrase is a powerful metaphor where life's journey is a sea voyage, circumstances are the 'wind', and one's actions or principles are the 'sail'.
Symbolic Imagery
The image of a ship adjusting its sails is a dynamic and universally understood symbol for adaptation, making the abstract concept of opportunism concrete and memorable.
Parallelism
The phrasing often contains a pleasing rhythm and parallelism, as seen in 'sail with any wind', which enhances its proverbial, memorable quality.
Transcription
Quotations
All men set their sayles with the fauourable winde, which blew on the fortune of this young Prince.
Then he would sail with any wind.
To Saile with all Windes.
A wise mariner can fit his sayles to every wind.
He can fit his sayles to every wind.
*Faire voil à tout vent.
(a Sail).
Shakespeare Citations
An thou canst not smile as the wind sits, thou’lt catch cold shortly.
Cross References
- See OTTO, no. 1855.
- W439 To turn with the wind (tide).
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.