proverb · Words worth keeping
An argument is like a dagger, it has two sharp cutting sides.
An argument is like a dagger, it has two sharp cutting sides.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An argument compared with a dagger cutting on two sides pictures a dispute affecting more than one participant. The saying warns that using an argument can have consequences for its user as well.
What the words are saying
The image provides no weapon guidance and does not make every disagreement dangerous. A qualified reading can consider reciprocity, escalation or implications while preserving fair challenge. The precise intended comparison is unverified, and different arguments may work very differently.
Everyday example
Someone checks how a criticism also applies to their own position before presenting it.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified dispute-and-consequence image.
What it does not mean
No universal harm from disagreement or dagger-handling method is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Mongolia
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 428; PDF page 40; collection label: Mongolia
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Mongolia