Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña.»
Word for word
If the mountain does not go to Muhammad, Muhammad goes to the mountain.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.
Used when you must adapt and go to the person or place instead of waiting for them to come to you. Common in everyday problem-solving contexts.
Hear it in a sentence
No vino a la reunión, así que fui yo: si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña.
He didn't come to the meeting, so I went: if the mountain won't go to Muhammad, Muhammad goes to the mountain.
More Spanish sayings
- Dos cabezas piensan mejor que una. — Two heads are better than one.
- Todo llega para quien sabe esperar. — Good things come to those who wait.
- Hablando se entiende la gente. — Talking things through solves problems.
- Más vale un toma que dos te daré. — A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
- Todo lo que sube, baja. — What goes up must come down.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.