A Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Paperback Reference)

If TWO ride on a horse, one must ride behind

1598–9 SHAKESPEARE Much Ado about Nothing III. v. 34 An two men ride of a

horse, one must ride behind. c 1628 J. SMYTH Berkeley MSS (1885) III. 32 If two ride

upon an horse one must sit behinde; meaninge, That in each contention one must take the

[defeat]. 1874 G. J. WHYTE-MELVILLE Uncle John I. x. There is an old adage.. ‘When

two ride on a horse, one must ride behind.’ 1942 V. RATH Posted for Murder VI. iii.

There comes a point when you are very exasperating. .. ‘When two ride on one horse, one

must ride behind.’ But I’m getting off for a while. 1986 A. CLARKE Mystery Lady

(1988) iv. Collaboration on a book is an awkward business. If two people ride one horse,

one of them must ride behind. co-operation

There are TWO sides to every question

Cf. PROTAGORAS Aphorism (in Diogenes Laertius ProtagorasIX. li.)
[Protagoras] Protagoras was the
first to say that there are two sides to every question, one opposed to the other.

1802 J. ADAMS Autobiography (1966) III. 269 There were two Sides to a question.

1817 T. JEFFERSON Letter 5 May in L. J. Cappon Adams-Jefferson Letters (1959) II.

513 Men of energy of character must have enemies: because there are two sides to every

question, and.. those who take the other will of course be hostile. 1863 C. KINGSLEY

Water Babies vi. Let them recollect this, that there are two sides to every question, and a

downhill as well as an uphill road. 1957 E. SITWELL Letter in V. Glendinning Edith

Sitwell (1981) xxviii. It’s more than platitudinous to say that there are two sides to every

question but there is something to be said on both sides. 1971 C. FITZGIBBON Red Hand

iii. From the English point of view which inevitably they have applied to.. Ireland, the art

of politics consists in realizing that there are two sides to every question. fair dealing

It takes TWO to make a bargain

1597 BACON Colours of Good & Euill x. 68 The seconde worde makes the bargaine.

1598 Mucedorus B2 Nay, soft, sir, tow words to a bargaine, a 1637 MIDDLETON et al.

Widow V. i. There’s two words to a bargain ever.. and if love be one, I’m sure money’s

the other. 1766 GOLDSMITH Vicar of Wakefield II. xii. ‘Hold, hold, Sir,’ cried

Jenkinson, ‘there are two words to that bargain.’ 1943 M. FLAVIN Journey in Dark iv.

Takes two to make a bargain, and you both done mighty wrong. 1973 E. McGIRR

Bardel’s Murder iv. My father was in skins and he had to carry a life-preserver, they got