What will be, will be 🔮➡️🛤️
Meaning
This phrase expresses acceptance of fate and the inevitability of future events.
Origin
This phrase owes its modern fame to the iconic 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film 'The Man Who Knew Too Much.' Doris Day, playing the role of a mother desperately searching for her abducted son, sings the song 'Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)' to comfort him. The song, with its catchy melody and fatalistic yet reassuring lyrics, instantly captured the public imagination. While the phrase itself existed in various forms long before the film, 'Que Sera, Sera' and its English translation 'Whatever Will Be, Will Be' became inextricably linked to Day's performance, cementing its place in popular culture as a stoic shrug in the face of uncertainty.
What will be, will be represented with emoji🔮➡️🛤️
This playful arrangement of 🔮➡️🛤️ invites us to consider the curious intersection of foresight and journey. It functions as a whimsical reminder that the path ahead, much like a crystal ball's swirling mists, holds an inherent mystery. The work underscores the notion that while we may glean glimpses of what is to come, the ultimate unfolding of our destiny remains a captivating, and sometimes inevitable, dance.
Examples
- I've studied as much as I can, and now I just have to see what happens on the test; what will be, will be.
- She was worried about the job interview, but decided to relax and trust that what will be, will be.
- The baker forgot to add sugar to the cake, but decided to frost it extra thick and declared, 'what will be, will be!'
- The cat chased the laser pointer under the sofa, and when it didn't come out, the owner shrugged and said, 'what will be, will be, he'll resurface eventually with a dust bunny mustache.'
Frequently asked questions
While often considered an idiom due to its figurative meaning, 'What will be, will be' functions more like a proverb because it expresses a general truth or piece of advice about accepting fate. Its modern popularity stems largely from the song 'Que Sera, Sera' from the 1956 film 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'.
The closest opposite of 'What will be, will be' is a phrase emphasizing proactive control and agency, such as 'Make it happen' or 'Seize the day'. These encourage actively shaping the future rather than passively accepting it.
Yes, variations of the sentiment behind 'What will be, will be' have existed in literature and common speech for centuries, reflecting a long-held understanding of fate. However, the 1956 song 'Que Sera, Sera' by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, famously sung by Doris Day, popularized the exact English phrasing and cemented its cultural relevance.
While 'What will be, will be' can be interpreted as pessimistic by suggesting a lack of control, it is often used with a sense of stoic resignation or even optimism, implying that one should not worry excessively about the future. The phrase embodies acceptance rather than despair.