Proverbs 26:1–12

26Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.

²Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never settle.

³You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.

⁴If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.

⁵Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he’s not as clever as he thinks.

⁶If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.

⁷A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.

⁸Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.

⁹A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.

¹⁰An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.^o

^11*A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.

¹²The most stupid fool is better off than someone who thinks he is wise when he is not.