Put your trust in God but be sure to keep your powder dry.

This saying is widely attributed to Oliver Cromwell in connection with the English Civil Wars, capturing the blend of religious providentialism and military practicality associated with Parliamentarian forces. However, no secure contemporary record (e.g., Cromwell’s letters, speeches, or official dispatches) preserves these exact words. The phrasing appears to be a later, proverbial-style summary of an attitude—trusting in divine guidance while maintaining readiness and discipline—rather than a verbatim quotation traceable to a specific moment (such as a particular battle order or address to troops). As a result, it functions more as an attributed maxim than a documentable utterance.

The aphorism fuses religious faith with pragmatic readiness: trust in divine providence, but do not confuse faith with passivity. “Keep your powder dry” is a concrete military image for maintaining the material conditions needed to act effectively when the moment comes. The line has endured because it captures a durable ethic of responsibility—spiritual confidence paired with careful preparation—often invoked in politics, business, and personal life to argue that belief, optimism, or moral conviction must be matched by practical safeguards and competent planning.

1) "Trust in God, but keep your powder dry." 2) "Put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry." 3) "Fear God and keep your powder dry."