# What does ‘beggars can't be choosers’ mean?

To “beggars can't be choosers” means to people in need must accept what is offered. Brewer's records this as a familiar English proverb, in print by the 16th century (John Heywood, 1546).

## What it means

- Brewer's records this as a familiar English proverb, in print by the 16th century (John Heywood, 1546).

## Action steps

1. Standard rebuke of ingratitude.
2. Example: It's not the room I wanted, but beggars can't be choosers.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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