As the tree falls, so shall it lie.
This proverb means that once something has happened, it is final and cannot be changed. It emphasizes the idea of permanence, particularly in the context of death or irreversible events. The phrase originates from Ecclesiastes 11:3 in the Bible, where it is used to illustrate the idea that the consequences of actions, or the state of being at the end of one's life, are fixed.
The phrase highlights the immutability that applied to life events, particularly death, suggesting that once someone dies, their fate is sealed. It also emphasizes that the consequences of one's actions, or the state one is in at the end of their life, are permanent.
The phrase is directly from Ecclesiastes 11:3, which states, "If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie"
As a tree falls, so shall it lie
As a tree falls, so shall it lie;
As a man lives, so shall he die;
As a man dies, so shall he be;
Through all the aeons of eternity.
