ProverbPerseverance
English origin
English originIf you cannot bite, never show your teeth.
Meaning: Avoid displaying aggression or capability you lack; empty threats invite challenge and ridicule.
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
French: Qui ne peut mordre, ne doit pas montrer les dents (literally: Don’t show your teeth if you can’t bite)
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