Remove the tale-bearer and contention ceaseth.
Meaning: Silencing gossip's source eliminates the conflict it generates among those previously divided by rumor.
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
- To him that hath lost his taste, sweet is sour. — Loss of perspective inverts our values; deprivation corrupts even formerly cherished plea…
- Nothing dries up sooner than tears. — Grief, however overwhelming, naturally fades with time as emotions settle and healing beg…
- The tempter is the greater rogue. — Temptation's instigator bears more moral culpability than the person succumbing to their…
- When I have thatched his house he would throw me down. — Ingratitude punishes generosity: helping someone complete their security makes them bold…
- All are not thieves that dogs bark at. — Not everyone accused or suspected deserves condemnation; accusations alone don't prove gu…
- The horse thinks one thing, and he that rides him another. — Intentions diverge between those who control and those controlled; agreement cannot be as…
From our tongue twisters
- Pablito clavó un clavito, ¿qué clavito clavó Pablito? — A bouncy drill on the 'cl' cluster.
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. — The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. — A relentless run on the 'tr' sound.