when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

English

Alternative forms

if life gives you lemons, make lemonade
whenever life gives you lemons, make lemonade

Proverb

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

You should always make the best out of difficult situations.

Usage notes

May be intensified by variants that supplement or replace lemonade with lemon tarts and/or lemon meringue pie.

Translations

make the best out of difficult situations

Arabic: اِصْنَعْ شَرَابًا حَلُّوا مِنْ حَامِض لَيْمُون الْحَيَاةِ m (iṣnaʕ šarāban ḥallū min ḥāmiḍ laymūn al-ḥayāti), اِصْنَعِي شَرَابًا حَلُّوا مِنْ حَامِض لَيْمُون الْحَيَاةِ f (iṣnaʕī šarāban ḥallū min ḥāmiḍ laymūn al-ḥayāti)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 轉禍為福／转祸为福 (zh) (zhuǎnhuòwéifú)
Finnish: vastoinkäymiset pitää kääntää voitoksi, vaikeudet on käännettävä voitoksi (idiomatic translation), kun elämä antaa sitruunoita, tee niistä mehua (literal translation)
French: quand la vie vous donne des citrons, faites de la citronnade; à la guerre comme à la guerre (fr)
German: wenn das Leben dir eine Zitrone gibt, mach Limonade draus; wenn dir das Leben eine Zitrone gibt, mach Limonade draus
Hindi: जब भी जीवन में मुश्किलें आएँ तो उनका भी लाभ उठाएँ (jab bhī jīvan mẽ muśkilẽ āẽ to unkā bhī lābh uṭhāẽ)
Italian: quando la vita ti dà limoni, prepara una limonata; se la vita ti offre limoni, fai una limonata
Japanese: 禍転じて福と為す (ja) (わざわいてんじてふくとなす, wazawai tenjite fuku to nasu), 災い転じて福となす (ja) (わざわいてんじてふくとなす, wazawai tenjite fuku to nasu)
Nigerian Pidgin: when life dey show you pepper, use am make pepper soup
Polish: gdy życie daje ci cytryny, zrób z nich lemoniadę
Portuguese: se a vida lhe der um limão, faça dele uma caipirinha; se a vida lhe der um limão, faça dele uma limonada
Spanish: al mal tiempo, buena cara; si la vida te da limones, haz limonada
Urdu: جب زندگی دیتا ہے، تو آپ لیمن نیبوڈ بناتے ہیں

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

English

Alternative forms

Proverb

Usage notes

Translations

See also