es kann nicht sein, was nicht sein darf

German

Alternative forms

• weil nicht sein kann, was nicht sein darf

Etymology

Literally, “what must not be, cannot be”. From the 1909 poem Die unmögliche Tatsache by Christian Morgenstern.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əs ˈkan nɪçt ˌzaɪ̯n vas ˌnɪçt zaɪ̯n ˈdaʁf/

Proverb

es kann nicht sein, was nicht sein darf

1. people find it extremely hard to accept facts when they go against their firmly held conviction or are otherwise devastating to them

   Obwohl man den Krieg längst verloren wusste, führte man ihn weiter nach dem Prinzip: Es kann nicht sein, was nicht sein darf!

   Although it had long been known that the war was lost, it was continued true to the principle: What must not be, cannot be!