"The devil is in the details" is an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...

alluding to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details; it indicates that "something may seem simple, but in fact the details are complicated and likely to cause problems". It comes from the earlier phrase "God is in the details", expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly; that is, details are important.

Origin

The idiom "God is in the details" has been attributed to a number of people, most notably to the German-born architect

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...

(1886–1969) by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in Mies's 1969 obituary; however, it is generally accepted not to have originated with him. A German version, ''Der liebe Gott steckt im Detail'', is widely attributed to the German art historian

Aby Warburg Aby Moritz Warburg, better known as Aby Warburg, (June 13, 1866 – October 26, 1929) was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg (Library for Cultural Studies), a private library, ...

(1866–1929). According to Christopher Johnson, ''Der liebe Gott steckt im Detail'' was the subtitle of a seminar Warburg taught at the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

in the winter of 1925-26. A French version of the saying, "''Le bon Dieu est dans le détail"'' (literally "the good God is in the detail") is generally attributed to

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

(1821–1880). The expression "the devil is in the details" is found in a 1963 history of post-war European integration. It is later attested in 1965. In 1969, it is referred to as an existing proverb. ''

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'', often simply called ''Bartlett's'', is an American reference work that is the longest-lived and most widely distributed collection of quotations. The book was first issued in 1855 and is currently in its ninet ...

'' lists the saying's author as anonymous. An editorial in the 1989 New York Times reflected on the apparent interchangeability of God and the Devil in the phrase, citing various examples in print at the time; as well as the difficulty of determining which came first and how long either one has been in use.

Variants

The phrase has several variants: ''(the/a) Devil (is) in the detail(s)''. The original expression as, "God is in the detail" with the "detail" being singular, colloquial usage often ends the idiom as "detail''s''"; where the word "detail" without an "s" can be used as both a singular and collective noun. When referring to the finer points of legislation, the US House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

observed, "The devil and the angels are in the details." More recently, the expressions "governing is in the details" and "the truth, if it exists, is in the details" have appeared.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devil Is In The Details English proverbs English-language idioms English phrases Ludwig Mies van der Rohe