God helps those who help themselves

The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is a popular motto that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and agency.

The phrase originated in ancient Greece and may originally have been proverbial. It is illustrated by two of Aesop's Fables and a similar sentiment is found in ancient Greek drama. Although it has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the modern English wording appears earlier in Algernon Sidney's work.

The phrase is often mistaken as a scriptural quote, but is not stated verbatim in the Bible. However, there are many verses which underscore believers' duties to work both for themselves and their families, such as Proverbs 6:10-11, 12:11, 12:24, 13:4, and I Timothy 5:8.

Some Christians have criticized the expression as being contrary to the Bible's message of God's grace. A variant of the phrase can also be found in the Quran (13:11).

The sentiment appears in ancient Greek tragedies of which only fragments now remain. In his Philoctetes (c.409 BC), Sophocles wrote, "No good e'er comes of leisure purposeless; And heaven ne’er helps the men who will not act." And in the Hippolytus (428BC) of Euripides appears the speech, "Try first thyself, and after call in God; For to the worker God himself lends aid."

A similar version of this saying "God himself helps those who dare" better translated as "divinity helps those who dare" "audentes deus ipse iuuat" comes from Ovid, Metamorphoses, 10.586. The phrase is spoken by Hippomenes when contemplating whether to enter a foot race against Atalanta for her hand in marriage. If Hippomenes were to lose, however, he would be killed. Hippomense decides to challenge Atalanta to a race and, with the aid of Venus, Hippomense was able to win the race.

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