A smart reproof is better than smooth deceit.
Meaning: Honest criticism that stings teaches growth, while flattery disguised as kindness poisons judgment.
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 Wisdom
- God help the rich, the poor can beg. — Wealth grants access to assistance and favor, while poverty leaves only desperation as re…
- Riches are like muck, which stink in a heap, but spread abroad make the earth fruitful. — Wealth hoarded breeds corruption and waste, but distributed widely benefits entire commun…
- Better ride on an ass that carries me than a horse that throws me. — Practical utility and reliability matter more than prestige or impressive appearances.
- Follow the river and you'll get to the sea. — Persistence along an established path naturally leads to your destination, even without k…
- A bird can roost upon but one branch. — Individual focus and commitment matter more than scattered efforts across multiple simult…
- A rotten apple injures its companions. — Corruption spreads through proximity; one person's moral decay threatens the integrity of…
From our tongue twisters
- 저 분은 백 법학박사이고 이 분은 박 법학박사이다. (Jeo buneun Baek beopakbaksa igo, i buneun Bak beopakbaksa ida.) — Baek and Bak are a single vowel apart, and 법학박사 piles four stop consonants into one title.
- Król Karol kupił królowej Karolinie korale koloru koralowego. — Every word starts with k, and król/Karol/korale/koloru keep re-ordering the same handful…
- Czy rak trzyma w szczypcach strzęp szczawiu? — Four different Polish sibilant clusters — trz, szcz, strz, szcz — in a single short quest…