all things to all men, to be

To adapt so as to satisfy everyone. The term appears in the New Testament of the Bible, in the first book of Corinthians
(9:22): “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” Today it is more often used negatively—that is, one cannot be all things to all men, although political candidates in particular continue to try. Eric Partridge believed it was a cliché by the nineteenth century.