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Wise Sayings About Fools

¹ Just as snow should not fall in summer, nor rain at harvest time, so people should not honor a fool.

² Don't worry when someone curses you for no reason. Nothing bad will happen. Such words are like birds that fly past and never stop.

³ You have to whip a horse, you have to put a bridle on a mule, and you have to beat a fool.^4-5 There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid. If you answer them, then you, too, will look like a fool. If you don't answer them, they will think they are smart.

⁶ Never let a fool carry your message. If you do, it will be like cutting off your own feet. You are only asking for trouble.

⁷ A fool trying to say something wise is like a crippled person trying to walk.

⁸ Showing honor to a fool is as bad as tying a rock in a sling.

⁹ A fool trying to say something wise is like a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.

¹⁰ Hiring a fool or a stranger who is just passing by is dangerous—you don't know who might get hurt.

¹¹ Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again.

¹² People who think they are wise when they are not are worse than fools.

¹³ A person who is lazy and wants to stay home says, "What if there is a lion out there? Really, there might be a lion in the street!"

¹⁴ Like a door on its hinges, a lazy man turns back and forth on his bed.

¹⁵ Lazy people are too lazy to lift the food from their plate to their mouth.

¹⁶ Lazy people think they are seven times smarter than the people who really have good sense.

¹⁷ To step between two people arguing is as foolish as going out into the street and grabbing a stray dog by the ears.^18-19 Anyone who would trick someone and then say, "I was only joking" is like a fool who shoots flaming arrows into the air and accidentally kills someone.

²⁰ Without wood, a fire goes out. Without gossip, arguments stop.

²¹ Charcoal keeps the coals glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.

²² People love to hear gossip. It is like tasty food on its way to the stomach.

²³ Good words that hide an evil heart are like silver paint over a cheap, clay pot. ²⁴ Evil people say things to make themselves look good, but they keep their evil plans a secret. ²⁵ What they say sounds good, but don't trust them. They are full of evil ideas. ²⁶ They hide their evil plans with nice words, but in the end, everyone will see the evil they do.

²⁷ Whoever digs a pit can fall into it. Whoever rolls a large stone can be crushed by it.

²⁸ Liars hate the people they hurt, and false praise can hurt people.