Worm turns

The worm turns is a metaphor that means even the weakest will turn and face up to an adverse situation, and try to reverse it. It is an old proverb that is first cited in John Heywood's collection of proverbs, published in 1546, where it appeared in the form of “tread on a worm and it will turn.” Shakespeare picked up on it in Henry VI Part II (1591) Act II, Scene II. “The smallest worm will turn being trodden on.”