Give neither advice nor salt until you are asked for it.
Meaning: Offer advice only when it's asked for; unsolicited counsel is rarely welcome.
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
- What every one asks, what every one gives, but what very few take--advice. — Everyone seeks and gives advice, yet almost no one actually follows it.
- Two of a trade seldom agree. — Rivals in the same business rarely agree; competition breeds friction between them.
- Agues come on horseback, but go away on foot. — Sickness arrives suddenly but lingers, leaving far more slowly than it came.
- None knows the weight of another's burden. — No one can truly feel how heavy another person's troubles are.
- April and May are the keys of the year. — Spring's weather sets the course for the whole year's growth and harvest.
- Argus at home, but a mole abroad. — Sharp-eyed over one's own household, yet blind to everything beyond it.
From our false friends
- Lectura — Actually means 'reading'. A lecture is una conferencia.
- Compromiso — Actually means 'commitment', 'obligation', or 'engagement'. For a negotiated compromise,…
- Gracioso — Actually means 'funny' or 'amusing'. For gracious (kind and polite), say amable.