(there) but for the grace of God (go I)
idiom
—used to say that one could be in the same bad situation as someone else
Examples of (there) but for the grace of God (go I) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There but for the grace of God, Mr. Speaker.
Louisiana and New Orleans were accused of poor design of levees that were supposed to protect the city and failed.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
As specific as the inspiration is, that song makes for a nice overture, lyrically, to a lot of Isbell’s empathetic concerns, which sometimes boil down to: There but for the grace of God go we.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 July 2024
There, but for the grace of God, go we who have won lottery tickets.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2024
And every night until election day, the council candidates should utter the following prayer, keeping Martinez and the mural in mind: There but for the grace of God go we.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2023
Left unspoken was the knowledge that, but for the grace of God, the TCU player might have been one of their own.
—Dallas News, 29 Sep. 2022
There but for the grace of God go many of us, even if cameras aren’t capturing our fights and disappointments.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
As specific as the inspiration is, that song makes for a nice overture, lyrically, to a lot of Isbell’s empathetic concerns, which sometimes boil down to: There but for the grace of God go we.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 July 2024
There, but for the grace of God, go we who have won lottery tickets.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2024
And every night until election day, the council candidates should utter the following prayer, keeping Martinez and the mural in mind: There but for the grace of God go we.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2023
Left unspoken was the knowledge that, but for the grace of God, the TCU player might have been one of their own.
—Dallas News, 29 Sep. 2022
There but for the grace of God go many of us, even if cameras aren’t capturing our fights and disappointments.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“(there) but for the grace of God (go I).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%28there%29%20but%20for%20the%20grace%20of%20God%20%28go%20I%29. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share