ProverbMoralityInternational origin

The axe forgets, but the tree remembers

Meaning: Those who cause harm often forget quickly, while those who suffer carry the wound far longer.

Origin: Commonly labeled a Shona proverb from Zimbabwe, but it is also credited to other African and even Romanian traditions, and no early written source has been traced. It means that whoever causes harm forgets it quickly, while the one harmed remembers.

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