Quoted in [Sextus Empiricus Against Professors i. 287] ὀψε θɛῷν ἀλέουσίμύλοί, ἀλέουσί δε λɛρṯά, the mills of the gods are late to grind, but they grind small.

Gods Mill grinds slow, but sure.
[1640 G. Herbert Outlandish Proverbs no. 747]

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience he stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all.
[1870 Longfellow Poems (1960) 331]

That's my business. ‥The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.
[1942 ‘F. Beeding’ Twelve Disguises i.]

Military record keepers were like the mills of God. They ground slow, and exceeding small, but only at their own pace.
[1989 R. Hart Remains to be Seen vii.]

Related to: justice and injustice; retribution

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The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. Copyright © 1982, 1992, 1998, 2003, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.