- English translation
Do not take a dispute with a neighbor to the limit, but when you wash a garment, make it truly clean.
- Literal wording
If you quarrel with your neighbor, spare him; and if you wash your garment, make it clean.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying advises proportion and discernment. In dealings with a neighbor, even during conflict, one should figuratively hold back from excessive escalation so that goodwill can survive the quarrel and a passing dispute does not become lasting hostility.
By contrast, a garment being washed should be cleaned completely. The paired images teach that restraint is wise in human tensions, while thoroughness is right when the aim is to remove dirt and make something clean.
- When it is used
Used to recommend tact and measured conduct: leave room for reconciliation in close social relationships, yet carry practical work through properly when incomplete effort would defeat its purpose.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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