The guts carry the feet not the feet the guts.

The saying contrasts physical ability (“feet”) with inner resolve (“guts”), asserting that courage and determination are what truly propel a person forward. Read this way, it belongs to a long tradition of proverbial wisdom that prizes willpower over mere bodily capacity: you can have the means to move, but without nerve you will not act; conversely, strong spirit can drive action even when circumstances are difficult. Although often attributed to Cervantes, the phrasing in English sounds like a later proverb or loose paraphrase rather than a recognizable line from a specific Cervantine passage.