- English translation
Better to face a lion than to place your safety in the hands of a person.
- Literal wording
Spend the night in a lion’s belly, but do not spend the night in a human being’s belly.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying warns that human treachery can be more dangerous than an obvious physical threat. A lion is feared openly, whereas a person may conceal harmful intentions behind apparent trust or friendship.
It urges caution in choosing whom to rely on when safety, interests, or secrets are at stake. Its force comes from deliberate exaggeration and a sweeping image of betrayal, not a literal claim that all people are untrustworthy.
- When it is used
Use it as a stark warning against trusting someone considered deceitful or unreliable, especially after betrayal or broken confidence. Its severe, figurative imagery suits grave cautions about hidden ill will, not mild everyday disappointments, and should not be used to endorse stereotypes about people in general.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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