Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Meaning: Don't harm those who help you.
Origin: The image of a dog snapping at its master is old, but the best-known early use is political. Edmund Burke, in Thoughts and Details on Scarcity — written for Prime Minister William Pitt in 1795 and published after Burke's death in 1800 — warned that people taught to look to the government for bread would, at the first shortage, "turn and bite the hand that fed them." It has since settled into everyday use for ingratitude toward anyone who supports you.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Il ne faut pas mordre la main qui te nourrit (literally: One must not bite the hand that feeds you)
- Spanish: No muerdas la mano que te da de comer (literally: Don't bite the hand that feeds you)
- Japanese: 恩を仇で返すな (On wo ada de kaesu na) (literally: Don't return kindness with enmity)
- German: Man soll nicht die Hand beißen, die einen füttert (literally: One should not bite the hand that feeds one)
More proverbs about Morality
- People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones — Don't criticize others if you have the same faults.
- The road to hell is paved with good intentions — Good plans are worthless without follow-through.
- The truth shall set you free — Honesty and truth lead to liberation.
- To err is human, to forgive divine — Making mistakes is natural; forgiving them is noble.
- Live and let live — Be tolerant of others' choices and lifestyles.
- The pot calling the kettle black — Criticizing someone for a flaw you yourself possess.
From our idioms
- Chi dorme non piglia pesci — You snooze, you lose.
- Acqua in bocca — Keep it secret; don't tell anyone.
- Essere al verde — To be broke; to have no money left.