as the mountain could not wait upon Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain

A form of if the mountain won't come to Muhammad — If something one wishes to be done cannot be commanded to be done, one must find another way to achieve one's goal.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. alternativeAlternative form of if the mountain won't come to Muhammad.
    1 more example

    On Tuesday evening he sent a message to the office of the Stamford paper, requesting that, as the "mountain could not wait upon Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain,"—or, in other words, that the printer would call upon him, and receive an order for executing some hand-bills announcing Mr. Lambert's arrival, and his desire to see company.

    1809 July, “LINCOLNSHIRE.”, in The Universal Magazine (New Series), volume XII, number LXVIII, page 78, column 1
Cite this entry
APA

as the mountain could not wait upon Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20the%20mountain%20could%20not%20wait%20upon%20Mahomet%2C%20Mahomet%20would%20go%20to%20the%20mountain

MLA

“as the mountain could not wait upon Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20the%20mountain%20could%20not%20wait%20upon%20Mahomet%2C%20Mahomet%20would%20go%20to%20the%20mountain. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “as the mountain could not wait upon Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20the%20mountain%20could%20not%20wait%20upon%20Mahomet%2C%20Mahomet%20would%20go%20to%20the%20mountain.

Source: as the mountain could not wait upon Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.