# Who said this...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-said-this/92019>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 7, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-said-this/92019 "2001-11-07T17:02:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-said-this/92019/1 "2001-11-07T17:02:31Z")

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“There by the grace of God go I” (or words to this effect). What is the exact quote and its origin? Is this biblical? And, if biblical, do you have a citation (book of \_\_, chap:verse) for it?

Thanks,

- Jinx

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**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-said-this/92019/2 "2001-11-07T17:11:13Z")

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I don’t know the source, but I believe the actual quote is “There **but for** the grace of God go I”.

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-said-this/92019/3 "2001-11-07T17:54:05Z")

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IIRC, it was either Preacher Dwight L. Moody or Billy Sunday.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-said-this/92019/4 "2001-11-07T18:44:30Z")

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It’s a rewording of a quotation from John Bradford

> [@](#):
>
> But for the grace of God there goes John Bradford.

[http://www.xrefer.com/entry/247767](http://www.xrefer.com/entry/247767)