Why do we say "If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain"?

Meaning:

If things aren't going your way, you'll have to adjust to the way they are.

Background:

This expression has been traced back to Francis Bacon's Essays (1625):

"Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers for the observers of his law. The people assembled: Mahomet called the hill to come to him again and again: and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit abashed, but said, "If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill." - Francis Bacon.

This tale would seem to be apocryphal as there is no source for it in the Quran or any other Islamic teachings.

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