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It is not given to all to do this job with celerity.

What is this "it is not given to do" construction? Where is it in the dictionary?

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When people are particularly good at something they are often said to be 'gifted'.

'He is a gifted violinist'. 'She is a gifted volleyball player'. 'Trinity College, Cambridge, which is Isaac Newton's old college, accepts only students who are 'gifted' mathematicians.'

The notion that excellence in ability is some form of gift which has been given from birth runs high in Judeo-Christian society.

Hence the everyday expression 'It is not given to everyone to be able to make a nice cup of tea' is not at all unusual, both in sincerity and, as in my example, when said with irony.

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  • Can instead of "it's" be some verb or noun?
    – Boyep
    Commented Sep 26, 2021 at 16:50
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    My first reaction was to say that "it", used in this way, is an "expletive subject" and doesn't refer to anything. (If you want to know all about expletive subjects - look up "it is raining" on this site). But then people do say things like "John is not given to paying people compliments" - meaning, presumably, that John does not have the gift of paying compliments.
    – WS2
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 4:33
  • but if you want to say that someone simply can't do something, let it be "flying", then does this make some point of saying it this way "It's not given to you to fly (as others do)"
    – Boyep
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 6:58
  • Or "it is not given to all (you) to play football" Is this way possible meaning that you don't have ability of playing football properly
    – Boyep
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 7:01
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    Where it is specific to an individual it would seem more natural to me to say "You do not appear given to flying..."
    – WS2
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 8:20
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Pretty archaic wording.

It is not given to all means that not all people have the ability.

Probably meant more like God has not blessed all men with the ability to do the job quickly.

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    I don't find it in the least archaic. It is an everyday idiom in my reckoning.
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 6:44
  • @WS2 Here in the colonies it would be rare, and not readily understood by old hundred names.
    – Spehro 'speff' Pefhany
    Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 6:50
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    @SpehroPefhany 'Old hundred names' is a reference, as I understand it, to Chinese surnames. I agree that it might not perhaps be understood by people of Buddhist or Taoist origin. That is why, in my answer, I refer to 'Judeo-Christian society'.
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 6:58
  • @WS2 Old hundred names is a translation of a Chinese idiom meaning something like Joe Sixpack or Fred Bloggs. I could imagine saying "It is not given to all to do this job with celerity" in a sports bar (with a sneer) if the bartender was slow in bringing a drink. It might not turn out well.
    – Spehro 'speff' Pefhany
    Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 7:07
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    Huh. I agree with WS2 that it is not given to all is not archaic (formal, yes, but not archaic) and is quite easily understandable to anyone—but I’ve never seen old hundred names before right now, and I had no idea what it was supposed to mean until I read WS2’s response, at which point I figured out it’s a direct translation of 老百姓 lǎo bǎi xìng.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Jul 7, 2015 at 21:42
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It is not given to all to do this job with celerity.

We can rewrite this as:

[The ability] to do this job with celerity is not given to all [people][by God or Fate].

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