TrueQuotes - Verified Quotes Archive

"If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain."

— Misquotations

January 1, 1970

Quote Details

Added by wikiquote-import-bot

Added on April 10, 2026

Unverified quote

0 likes

Original Language: English

Sources

The original phrase used the term "hill", but John Owen's 1643 translation used the term "mountain". This phrase is often misquoted due to widespread misunderstanding of the phrase's meaning. It does not refer to "going after opportunity instead of waiting for it to come to you". Its meaning translates, "If one's will does not prevail, one must submit to an alternative."

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Misquotations

The original phrase used the term "hill", but John Owen's 1643 translation used the term "mountain". This phrase is often misquoted due to widespread misunderstanding of the phrase's meaning. It does not refer to "going after opportunity instead of waiting for it to come to you". Its meaning translates, "If one's will does not prevail, one must submit to an alternative."