- English translation
Don't treat badly someone whose face you must see every morning.
- Literal wording
A face you greet every morning, you do not confront it with ugliness.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying advises courtesy toward anyone you are bound to see day after day; the dialect word for 'face' stands for the whole person. When daily contact cannot be avoided, harsh words or open hostility gain little and leave a strain you must carry into every later meeting.
The reasoning is practical rather than moral. Keeping good terms with a constant presence spares you repeated awkward encounters and a quarrel that drags on, so patience and kindness are presented as the sensible choice for your own peace. It asks for tact and restraint, not affection or agreement.
- When it is used
Use it to calm or caution someone who is tempted to quarrel with a person they cannot avoid, such as a neighbor, coworker, housemate, or relative. It suits informal advice, especially after a minor friction, as a reminder that a lasting chill will cost the speaker too.
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- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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