Never ask as a favour what thou canst take by force

“Never ask as a favour what thou canst take by force” is a proverb Sancho Panza invokes when Don Quixote imagines that a princess’s father might refuse their marriage. Its blunt contrast between asking and taking makes force sound like an alternative to seeking permission, while the exchange exposes the gap between Don Quixote’s chivalric ambitions and Sancho’s concern with the rewards and risks of serving him.

Wording and Meaning

The saying sets a request for a favor against taking what is wanted by force. In the conversation, Sancho attributes it to “some naughty people,” signaling that he recognizes its questionable counsel even as he uses it. He follows it with a different maxim, “A clear escape is better than good men's prayers,” which shifts the emphasis from bold acquisition to avoiding danger.

Use in the Conversation

Don Quixote has just speculated that the king, imagined as his future father-in-law, might not consent to the match. He presents carrying off the princess as the alternative. Sancho takes up the prospect in the proverb’s terms, agreeing that if the king refuses, they would have to seize and transport her. The saying therefore works as a comic echo of Don Quixote’s extravagant plan, not as an independent account of an actual abduction.

The Squire’s Practical Stakes

Sancho’s response quickly turns from the princess’s fate to his own prospects. Until peace is made and Don Quixote enjoys his kingdom, Sancho fears that rewards will remain scarce; he hopes instead that the princess’s attendant, intended as his future wife, might be given to him as a lawful wife. Don Quixote accepts that proposal, and Sancho ends by commending them to God and fortune. The proverb thus belongs to a conversation where forceful royal fantasy and a squire’s hopes of marriage and reward meet, but where neither outcome is yet secured.