It is an ill bird that defiles its own nest.
Meaning: Betraying your family or community harms the very foundation of your own security and belonging.
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, and German
- French: Il faut laver son linge sale en famille (literally: One should wash one's dirty linen within the family)
- Spanish: Aquella ave es mala, que en su nido caga (literally: It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest)
- German: Es ist ein schlechter Vogel, der sein eigenes Nest beschmutzt (literally: It is a bad bird that dirties its own nest)
More proverbs about Challenge
- Tis an ill dog that deserves not a bone. — Even the most troublesome dog has earned some small reward through its service or loyalty.
- He who hath no ill fortune, is dazed with good. — Unrelenting prosperity blinds people to reality; adversity provides necessary clarity and…
- When ill luck falls asleep, let nobody wake her. — Avoid disturbing a period of bad fortune by taking unnecessary action; silence and stilln…
- Nothing is impossible to a willing mind. — Determination and mental resolve can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable through…
- He that hath many irons in the fire, some of them will cool. — Pursuing too many simultaneous projects reduces focus and causes some efforts to lose mom…
- A fat kitchen, a lean will. — Excessive spending on pleasures leaves little inheritance or resources for one's heirs an…
From our compliments & insults
- Eres más lento que el caballo del malo — You're painfully slow — the villain's horse never catches the hero.
- Testa di rapa — A blockhead who isn't thinking.
- Du hast doch einen Vogel — You're a bit out of your mind.