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You may have heard the term there but for the grace of God go I during an English conversation, and you may well have wondered what the term means. We are going to reveal the meaning of this term as well as taking a look at some examples of how it can be used in a conversation. We will also take a look at the origin of the phrase and where it first came from.
There But For the Grace of God Go I
There But For the Grace of God Go I Meaning
The phrase “there but for the grace of God go I” is said to someone who is in a bad situation and you are saying that you are thankful not to be in that position.
Origin of this idiomatic expression
The term there but for the grace of God go I can be traced back to the 16th century and a man named John Bradford who was referring to a group of men who were being led to be executed.
“There But For the Grace of God Go I” Examples
Examples in Statements
We will now take a look at some examples of times in which the term there but for the grace of God I go might be seen.
The first statement is being made by someone watching their friend be sentenced to prison.
- I almost went with him the day he committed the crime, that could have been me, there but for the grace of God go I.
The next statement is being made by a person who survived a car accident.
- The person in the other car was sadly killed, there but for the grace of God go I.
Conversation Examples
There are many conversations in which you may see the proverb there but for the grace of God I go. We are now going to take a look at some examples of this.
The first conversation is taking place between two friends.
- Person 1: “Did you see that Karen fell and hurt herself very seriously?”
- Person 2: “Yes, I was with her, I almost fell too but there for the grace of God go I.”
The second conversation is taking place between two co-workers.
- Person 1: “They are going to be making a lot of people redundant this year.”
- Person 2: “Thankfully that won’t be you, what with you being the boss’s wife.”
- Person 1: “There but for the grace of God go I.”
Other Ways to Say the Idiom
There are many other ways in which you might refer to the meaning of the term there but for the grace of God go I, we are now going to look at some other things you might say which carry the same meaning.
- Thankfully that is not my fortune
- Luckily that isn’t me
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