Better that the feet slip than the tongue.

Meaning: A physical misstep heals quickly, but careless words cause lasting damage to relationships and reputation.

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.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, and 3 more languages

French: Mieux vaut glisser du pied que de la langue (literally: Better a slip of the foot than of the tongue)
Spanish: Por la boca muere el pez (literally: The fish dies by its mouth)
Japanese: 口は災いの元 (Kuchi wa wazawai no moto) (literally: The mouth is the source of calamity)
Italian: Ne uccide più la lingua che la spada (literally: The tongue kills more than the sword)
Portuguese: Pela boca morre o peixe (literally: The fish dies by its mouth)
Dutch: Beter met de voet dan met de tong te struikelen (literally: Better to stumble with the foot than with the tongue)
Russian: Язык мой — враг мой (Yazyk moy — vrag moy) (literally: My tongue is my enemy)
Chinese: 祸从口出 (Huò cóng kǒu chū) (literally: Disaster comes out of the mouth)