View source for a bad workman always blames his tools

==English==

===Alternative forms===
* {{l|en|a bad carpenter blames his tools}}
* {{l|en|a poor workman blames his tools}}

===Proverb===
{{en-proverb|head=[[a]] [[bad]] [[workman]] [[always]] [[blame]]s [[his]] [[tool]]s}}

# It is not the tools we use that make us good, but rather how we employ them.
#* {{quote-book|en|title=The Works of George Herbert in Prose and Verse|chapter=Jacula Prudentum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXAYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA440|year=1881|location=New York|first=John Wurtle|last=Lovell|pages=440}}
#** Never had ill workman good tools.
#* {{quote-book|en|title=The Works of George Herbert in Prose and Verse|chapter=Jacula Prudentum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXAYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA454|year=1881|location=New York|first=John Wurtle|last=Lovell|pages=454}}
#** An ill labourer quarrels with his tools.
# Upon failure, it is easier to blame the tools used rather than how they were employed.

====Translations====
{{trans-top|not the tools but how they're employed}}
* Bengali: {{t+|bn|নাচতে না জানলে উঠান বাঁকা}}
* Chinese:
*: Cantonese: {{t+|yue|屙屎唔出賴地硬}}, {{t|yue|賴地硬}}
*: Hakka: {{t|hak|唔識字怨爺娘，唔會賺錢怨屋場|tr=m̀ sṳt-sṳ yen yà-ngiòng, m̀-voi chhon-chhièn yen vuk-chhòng}}
*: Hokkien: {{t|nan-hbl|𣍐曉駛船嫌溪彎|tr=bōe-hiáu sái-chûn hiâm khoe oan}}, {{t|nan-hbl|𣍐曉駛船嫌溪狹|tr=bōe-hiáu sái-chûn hiâm khoe oe̍h}}
*: Mandarin: {{t|cmn|拉不出屎來賴茅坑}}, {{t|cmn|尿不準怪馬桶歪}}
* Dutch: {{t|nl|een kwaad werkman heeft altijd slecht getuig}}
* Finnish: {{t|fi|kyllä sika syitä löytää, välillä on maa jäässä, välillä kärsä kipeä}}
* French: {{t+|fr|à méchant ouvrier, point de bon outil}}, {{t+|fr|un mauvais ouvrier a toujours de mauvais outils}}
* German: {{t|de|wenn der Reiter nichts taugt, hat das Pferd Schuld}} {{qualifier|if the rider is no good, it's the horse's fault}}, {{t|de|ein schlechter Handwerker schimpft immer auf sein Werkzeug}}
* Hindi: {{t|hi|नाच न जाने आँगन टेढ़ा}}
* Icelandic: {{t+|is|árinni kennir illur ræðari}} {{qualifier|a bad rower blames his oar}}
* Irish: {{t|ga|droch-cheardaí a chuireann an milleán ar a chuid uirlisí}}, {{t|ga|ní thig a sháith de chorrán a thabhairt do dhrochbhuanaí|lit=it is not possible to give a sickle a sickle}}
* Japanese: {{t+|ja|弘法筆を選ばず|tr=kōbō fude o erabazu}}
* Korean: {{t|ko|나쁜 일꾼은 제 공구를 탓한다}}
* Malay:
*: Jawi: {{t|ms|تق تاهو مناري دکاتاکن لنتاي جوڠکڠ-جوڠکيت}}, {{t|ms|تق تاهو مناري دکاتاکن تانه تيڠݢي رنده}}, {{t|ms|تق تاهو مڠاڽم ڤندن دسالهکن}}
*: Rumi: {{t|ms|tak tahu menari dikatakan lantai jongkang-jongket}}, {{t|ms|tak tahu menari dikatakan tanah tinggi rendah}}, {{t|ms|tak tahu menganyam pandan disalahkan}}
* Marathi: {{t|mr|नाचता येइना अंगण वाकडे}}
* Persian:
*: Dari: {{t|fa|پهلوان که باخت میگه نیرو من تنگ بود|tr=}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|złej baletnicy przeszkadza rąbek spódnicy}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|плохо́му танцо́ру и я́йца меша́ют}} {{gloss|bad dancer is impeded even by (his own) balls}}, {{t|ru|не́ча на зе́ркало пеня́ть, ко́ли ро́жа крива́}} {{gloss|don't blame the mirror if your mug is skewed}}, {{t|ru|ма́стер глуп — нож туп}} {{gloss|if the worker is stupid, his knife is blunt}}
* Scottish Gaelic: {{t|gd|cha d'fhuair droch-bhuannaiche a-riamh deagh-chorran}}, {{t|gd|cha d'fhuair droch-ràmhaich ràmh math a-riamh}}
* Thai: {{t+|th|รำไม่ดีโทษปี่โทษกลอง}}
* Urdu: {{t+|ur|ناچ نہ جانے آنگن ٹیڑھا|tr=nāc na jāne ā̃gan ṭeṛhā}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{cln|en|sentences}}