אֵין חָבוּשׁ מַתִּיר עַצְמוֹ מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים

ביטוי (אנגלית)

A prisoner cannot release himself from prison

הגדרה (אנגלית)

A prisoner does not have the power to free himself from captivity and therefore needs outside help. By extension: there are troubles from which a person needs the help of others in order to be freed.

("And why did David not utter the explicit Name and stand firm? He thought: 'A prisoner cannot release himself from prison.'" – Midrash Tehillim (Buber), Psalm 18; also: "He cannot release himself from prison, for it has already been said: 'A prisoner cannot release himself from prison.'" – Agnon, A Bundle of Stories, p. 136)