A clear escape is better than good men's prayers

“A clear escape is better than good men's prayers” is a proverb Sancho Panza offers as the better-fitting alternative to taking by force what might instead be requested as a favor. In the conversation, its cautious emphasis on getting away safely sits uneasily beside Don Quixote’s proposed abduction of a princess, while Sancho’s concern about going unrewarded turns the exchange toward his own prospects.

Use in the Conversation

Don Quixote imagines that if the princess’s father refuses their proposed match, the princess will love him regardless of his origins; failing that, he says she can be seized and carried off. Sancho replies by pairing two sayings: “Never ask as a favour what thou canst take by force” and, as the one that would fit better, “A clear escape is better than good men's prayers.” The contrast makes a cautious proverb answer a boastful plan, without preventing Sancho from accepting the plan’s practical premise that the princess might be carried away.

Prudence and Self-Interest

Sancho’s qualification is not detached moral opposition. He worries that until peace is made and Don Quixote enjoys his kingdom, the squire may remain hungry for rewards. He therefore hopes the princess’s confidante, who is to accompany her, can be given to him as a lawful wife and help him endure the delay. The proverb’s appeal to safety thus belongs to Sancho’s broader practical outlook: he measures the grand adventure against its risks, its uncertain timetable, and the immediate question of what he will receive.