proverb · Words worth keeping
Don’t boast until you see your enemy dead.
Don’t boast until you see your enemy dead.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying postpones boasting until an enemy is dead. As an explicit analogy, it warns against claiming victory before the threat has actually ended.
What the words are saying
The severe image makes the ending absolute. A responsible wider application can concern premature confidence without endorsing harm or literal killing. The source words do not establish an actual enemy, conflict or reliable test of completion.
Everyday example
A team waits for confirmation that a problem is resolved rather than celebrating an apparent early advantage.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified warning about premature claims of victory.
What it does not mean
The violent image is not endorsed as an instruction or proof that a threat has ended.
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 210; PDF page 34
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.