Better it is to meet a bear bereaved of her whelps, than a fool in his folly.
Meaning: Confronting a dangerous animal is safer than engaging with someone determined to persist in their destructive foolishness.
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 Human Nature
- As the fool thinks, so the bell chinks. — A fool's actions produce predictable, hollow results—noise without substance or deeper me…
- Fools set stools for wise folk to stumble at. — Foolish people create obstacles that even intelligent ones may trip over through careless…
- A fool's bolt is soon shot. — Reckless people exhaust their resources or arguments hastily, leaving themselves defensel…
- Fools build houses, and wise men buy them. — Shrewd investors profit from others' labor and mistakes rather than bearing construction…
- Every man is the architect of his fortune. — Individual choices and actions, not circumstance, determine the outcomes and success one…
- When fortune smiles take the advantage. — Seize opportunities promptly when circumstances favor you, as favorable conditions are te…
From our tongue twisters
- Trentatré trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando. — An unbroken stampede of 'tr' and 't'.
- 東京特許許可局 (Tōkyō tokkyo kyokakyoku) — A machine-gun of 'kyo' / 'kyoku' sounds.
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.