He that hath shipped the devil must make the best of him.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Once someone has accepted a difficult companion or arrangement, they must decide how to handle the consequences. The devil aboard a ship exaggerates the trouble introduced by an earlier choice.

What the words are saying

The ship gives the image a shared and restricted setting: a troublesome passenger cannot simply be ignored while everyone continues the voyage. The saying asks a person to deal with the reality of an arrangement they have entered. Making the best of it can mean establishing limits, correcting course or finding a way to end the arrangement responsibly. It need not require cooperation with wrongdoing or remaining in harm. The devil is a figure for serious trouble, not a verified description of a person’s character. The practical lesson concerns consequences and response rather than the assumption that an earlier mistake must be endured forever.

Everyday example

A committee that chose an unreliable contractor revises the schedule and sets clear conditions for continuing the work.

When to use it

Use it to consider the consequences of a troublesome arrangement.

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Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.