Keep from the anger of a great man.
Meaning: Avoid provoking the powerful, whose wrath can do you real harm.
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 Perseverance
- He that is angry without a cause must be pleased without amends. — Anger without real cause deserves no apology to soothe it.
- Never be ashamed to eat your meat. — Feel no shame in satisfying an honest, natural appetite.
- A wet August never brings dearth. — Rain in August secures the harvest and keeps famine away.
- A bad day never hath a good night. — Persistent troubles prevent rest; unresolved daytime conflicts disturb evening peace and…
- One barber shaves not so close but another finds work. — No matter how thoroughly one person completes a task, imperfection always remains for oth…
- Commend a wedded life, but keep thyself a batchelor. — Marry others off while preserving your own freedom from domestic obligations and constrai…
From our idioms
- 塞翁失马 (Sài Wēng shī mǎ) — A blessing in disguise; fortune is unpredictable.
- 狐假虎威 (Hú jiǎ hǔ wēi) — To bully others using borrowed power.
- 入乡随俗 (Rù xiāng suí sú) — When in Rome, do as the Romans do.