A poor workman blames his tools.
- Possible Interpretation: Good workmanship depends no more on the quality of the tools than it does on the way in which they are used, so to blame the tools for bad workmanship is to attempt to excuse one’s own lack of skill.
- In former times, a blacksmith would have made his own tools, so the act of blaming one’s tools would rebound on oneself.
- This wording of this proverb also has the double meaning : A workman without much money blames the quality of his tools.
- There is a circular aspect, in that a workman will remain poor without improving his skills, regardless of the quality of his tools, and thus never be able to afford better tools.
Some more English Proverbs over at wikiquote…