proverb · Words worth keeping
Don’t bite the hand which feeds you.
Don’t bite the hand which feeds you.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures biting the hand that feeds someone. It criticises harming a person on whom one depends for provision.
What the words are saying
The hand makes support personal and the bite makes the response injurious. A responsible interpretation can discuss gratitude without demanding submission to a helper. Receiving support does not remove boundaries or the right to object to harmful conduct.
Everyday example
Someone appreciates help while raising a concern respectfully instead of assuming gratitude requires silence.
When to use it
Use it to discuss treatment of a helper with dignity and boundaries retained.
What it does not mean
Dependence does not justify control or remove the right to challenge harm.
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
- Not established
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 proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 226; PDF page 36
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.