When sorrow is asleep, wake it not.
Meaning: Avoid reopening old wounds or painful memories that have faded with time.
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
- Sorrow comes unsent for, and, like the unbidden guest, brings his own stool. — Uninvited suffering arrives on its own terms, requiring no preparation and creating its o…
- "Sour grapes," as the fox said when he could not reach them. — Dismissing something as worthless once you've failed to obtain it masks disappointment th…
- Every sow to her own trough. — Animals fed separately avoid conflict; individuals should focus on their own portion rath…
- Who sows in May gets little that way. — Late planting yields poor harvests; timing matters as much as effort in agriculture and l…
- Tis too late, to spare when the bottom is bare. — Delaying financial restraint until resources are depleted renders frugality pointless and…
- It is better to spare at the brim than the bottom. — Preventing waste from the start costs less effort than trying to recover what's already b…
From our idioms
- go over like a lead balloon — To be completely unsuccessful, contrary to expectations; to fail.
- go to pieces — To fall apart physically or emotionally; to lose one's self-control.
- go to the dogs — To fall into disrepair; to deteriorate.