A man may hold his tongue in an ill time.
Meaning: Silence during conflict or crisis preserves safety and dignity better than speaking in anger.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Communication
- Confine your tongue, lest it confine you. — Careless speech invites consequences that restrict your freedom far more than silence eve…
- Keep your tongue within your teeth. — Silence prevents harm; unspoken words cannot wound or betray you.
- The tongue's not steel, yet it cuts. — Words inflict wounds as deep as any blade, leaving scars that heal far more slowly.
- The tongue talks at the head's cost. — Reckless speech brings consequences the speaker must bear, not those who merely listen.
- Who has not a good tongue, ought to have good hands. — Lacking eloquence in speech, one must compensate through skilled physical labor or useful…
- That is true which all men say. — What everyone believes requires no individual verification; consensus substitutes for per…
From our idioms
- on the ball — Mentally sharp or alert; well-prepared; efficient.
- on the blink — Not working correctly.
- on the fritz — Not working correctly.