Dictionary

fools rush in where angels fear to tread en · X

From An Essay on Criticism (1711) by Alexander Pope.

A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.
- “It's the first article of your creed—that marriage is a holy sacrament, that no power on earth or in hell can ever dissolve its bonds? Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, my dear! They always have—they always will, I suppose. 1915, Thomas Dixon, The Foolish Virgin:
- The year following my graduation the new Captain of my Alma Mater's team asked me if I would aid him in developing the squad for next year. Well, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," so I said Yes. 1921, William T. Tilden, The Art of Lawn Tennis:
- Then, too, a record of failures—particularly if it is a dignified and well-authenticated record—deters a young man from trying. We get some of our best results from letting fools rush in where angels fear to tread. 1922, Henry Ford, Samuel Crowther, chapter 5, in My Life and Work, Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc., →OCLC: