Man Proposes, God Disposes
To propose is to put something forward for consideration, and to ask someone to marry you. The old proverb pairs it with disposing.
To propose is to put something forward: a plan, a motion, a toast, or marriage. The medieval proverb *man proposes, God disposes* sets the word against its opposite: people put forward plans, but something else arranges the outcome. It comes from a fifteenth-century devotional book and has been quoted ever since.
- To put forward for consideration. *Propose an amendment.*
- To ask someone to marry you. *He proposed on the bridge.*
- To intend. *What do you propose to do?*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | propose | Propose a motion. |
| Past | proposed | As proposed. |
| Noun | proposal | A written proposal. |
| Noun | proposition | A business proposition. |
| Person | proposer | The proposer of the motion. |
How it is used in a sentence
- I propose that we adjourn.Formal meetings use the subjunctive.
- She proposed to him on a Tuesday.Marriage.
- The proposal runs to sixty pages.The document.
Proposal or proposition?
- Proposal — a plan put forward, or an offer of marriage
- Proposition — a business offer, or a statement in logic
- Motion — a proposal formally put to a vote
- Bid — an offer, usually of money
- Tender — a formal competitive offer to supply
From Latin *proponere*, to set forth, from *pro* and *ponere*, to place. English reshaped it on the pattern of *pose*, which is why we say propose rather than propone.
Where does *man proposes, God disposes* come from?
From Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ, written in the fifteenth century, though the idea is older.
Proposal or proposition?
A proposal is a plan or an offer of marriage. A proposition is a business offer or, in logic, a statement that can be true or false.