"the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" meaning in English

See the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

Etymology: From the Bible's account of Jesus' last night in Gethsemane. Matthew 26:41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=}} the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, {{en-proverb}} the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
  1. As much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible. Sometimes extended to jocular or organizational referents. Related terms: the spirit moves one Translations (achieving something is made impossible by frailty): ⁧الرُوحُ تَوَّاقَةُ وَلٰكِنَّ الجَسَدُ ضَعِيفُ⁩ (ar-rūḥu tawwāqatu walākinna l-jasadu ḍaʕīfu) (Arabic), 心有餘而力不足 (Chinese Mandarin), 心有余而力不足 (xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú) (Chinese Mandarin), duchť zajisté hotov jest, ale tělo nemocno (Czech), ånden er rede, men kødet er skrøbeligt (Danish), de geest is gewillig, maar het vlees is zwak (Dutch), la spirito ja estas fervora, sed la karno estas malforta (Esperanto), henki on altis, mutta liha on heikko (Finnish), henki tosin on altis, mutta liha on heikko (Finnish), l’esprit est prompt (French), mais la chair est faible (French), der Geist ist willig, aber das Fleisch ist schwach (German), ⁧אמנם הרוח חפצה, אבל הבשר חלש⁩ (Hebrew), ⁧הרוח חפצה והבשר רָפֶה⁩ (Hebrew), आत्मा तैयार है लेकिन मांस कमजोर है (ātmā taiyār hai lekin māns kamjor hai) (Hindi), a lélek kész, de a test erőtlen (Hungarian), lo spirito è pronto, ma la carne è stanca (Italian), 心熱けれど肉体は弱し (kokoro netsu keredo nikutai wa yowashi) (Japanese), spiritus quidem promptus est, caro autem infirma (Latin), he hihiko te wairua, ko te kikokiko ia he ngoikore (Maori), ånden er villig men kjødet er svakt (Norwegian Bokmål), dusza chętna, ale ciało słabe (Polish), o espírito está pronto, mas a carne é fraca (Portuguese), дух бодр, плоть же не́мощна (dux bodr, plotʹ že némoščna) (Russian), дух је, истина, вољан, но тијело је слабо [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), duh je, istina, voljan, no tijelo je slabo [Roman] (Serbo-Croatian), el espíritu está presto, mas la carne enferma (Spanish), anden är villig men köttet är svagt (alt: 1917) (Swedish), anden vill, men kroppen är svag (alt: 2000) (Swedish), tâm thần thì muốn lắm, mà xác thịt thì yếu đuối (Vietnamese)

Download JSON data for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak meaning in English (6.5kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [],
  "etymology_text": "From the Bible's account of Jesus' last night in Gethsemane. Matthew 26:41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
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        {
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "As much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible. Sometimes extended to jocular or organizational referents."
      ],
      "id": "en-the_spirit_is_willing_but_the_flesh_is_weak-en-proverb-RI01py1t",
      "links": [
        [
          "achieve",
          "achieve"
        ],
        [
          "frailties",
          "frailty"
        ],
        [
          "impossible",
          "impossible"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "the spirit moves one"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "ar-rūḥu tawwāqatu walākinna l-jasadu ḍaʕīfu",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "⁧الرُوحُ تَوَّاقَةُ وَلٰكِنَّ الجَسَدُ ضَعِيفُ⁩"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "心有餘而力不足"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "心有余而力不足"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "duchť zajisté hotov jest, ale tělo nemocno"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "ånden er rede, men kødet er skrøbeligt"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "de geest is gewillig, maar het vlees is zwak"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "la spirito ja estas fervora, sed la karno estas malforta"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "henki on altis, mutta liha on heikko"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "henki tosin on altis, mutta liha on heikko"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "l’esprit est prompt"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "mais la chair est faible"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "der Geist ist willig, aber das Fleisch ist schwach"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "⁧אמנם הרוח חפצה, אבל הבשר חלש⁩"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "⁧הרוח חפצה והבשר רָפֶה⁩"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "ātmā taiyār hai lekin māns kamjor hai",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "आत्मा तैयार है लेकिन मांस कमजोर है"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "a lélek kész, de a test erőtlen"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "lo spirito è pronto, ma la carne è stanca"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kokoro netsu keredo nikutai wa yowashi",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "心熱けれど肉体は弱し"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "spiritus quidem promptus est, caro autem infirma"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "he hihiko te wairua, ko te kikokiko ia he ngoikore"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "ånden er villig men kjødet er svakt"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "dusza chętna, ale ciało słabe"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "o espírito está pronto, mas a carne é fraca"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "dux bodr, plotʹ že némoščna",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "дух бодр, плоть же не́мощна"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "дух је, истина, вољан, но тијело је слабо"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "tags": [
            "Roman"
          ],
          "word": "duh je, istina, voljan, no tijelo je slabo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "el espíritu está presto, mas la carne enferma"
        },
        {
          "alt": "1917",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "anden är villig men köttet är svagt"
        },
        {
          "alt": "2000",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "anden vill, men kroppen är svag"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
          "word": "tâm thần thì muốn lắm, mà xác thịt thì yếu đuối"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [],
  "etymology_text": "From the Bible's account of Jesus' last night in Gethsemane. Matthew 26:41: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
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      "expansion": "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak",
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    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak",
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  "related": [
    {
      "word": "the spirit moves one"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
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        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English terms derived from the Bible",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "As much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible. Sometimes extended to jocular or organizational referents."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "achieve",
          "achieve"
        ],
        [
          "frailties",
          "frailty"
        ],
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          "impossible"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "ar-rūḥu tawwāqatu walākinna l-jasadu ḍaʕīfu",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "⁧الرُوحُ تَوَّاقَةُ وَلٰكِنَّ الجَسَدُ ضَعِيفُ⁩"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "心有餘而力不足"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "心有余而力不足"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "duchť zajisté hotov jest, ale tělo nemocno"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "ånden er rede, men kødet er skrøbeligt"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "de geest is gewillig, maar het vlees is zwak"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "la spirito ja estas fervora, sed la karno estas malforta"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "henki on altis, mutta liha on heikko"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "henki tosin on altis, mutta liha on heikko"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "l’esprit est prompt"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "mais la chair est faible"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "der Geist ist willig, aber das Fleisch ist schwach"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "⁧אמנם הרוח חפצה, אבל הבשר חלש⁩"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "⁧הרוח חפצה והבשר רָפֶה⁩"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "ātmā taiyār hai lekin māns kamjor hai",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "आत्मा तैयार है लेकिन मांस कमजोर है"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "a lélek kész, de a test erőtlen"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "lo spirito è pronto, ma la carne è stanca"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kokoro netsu keredo nikutai wa yowashi",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "心熱けれど肉体は弱し"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "spiritus quidem promptus est, caro autem infirma"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "he hihiko te wairua, ko te kikokiko ia he ngoikore"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "ånden er villig men kjødet er svakt"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "dusza chętna, ale ciało słabe"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "o espírito está pronto, mas a carne é fraca"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "dux bodr, plotʹ že némoščna",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "дух бодр, плоть же не́мощна"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "дух је, истина, вољан, но тијело је слабо"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "tags": [
        "Roman"
      ],
      "word": "duh je, istina, voljan, no tijelo je slabo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "el espíritu está presto, mas la carne enferma"
    },
    {
      "alt": "1917",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "anden är villig men köttet är svagt"
    },
    {
      "alt": "2000",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "anden vill, men kroppen är svag"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "achieving something is made impossible by frailty",
      "word": "tâm thần thì muốn lắm, mà xác thịt thì yếu đuối"
    }
  ],
  "word": "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-03-12 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-03-01 using wiktextract (68773ab and 5f6ddbb). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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