proverb · Words worth keeping
It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong.
It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Suffering wrong preferred to doing wrong places conduct above avoiding every personal cost. The saying rejects answering harm by becoming its perpetrator.
What the words are saying
A responsible interpretation does not require accepting abuse or refusing protection and support. The moral comparison can favour nonharmful choices while preserving accountability, boundaries and practical remedies. Suffering itself does not make a person better, and mistreatment is not deserved or obligatory.
Everyday example
Someone seeks a fair remedy for a grievance rather than inflicting a new harm in return.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a nonharmful response with protection and agency retained.
What it does not mean
No duty to endure preventable harm or moral benefit from suffering 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
United States
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 162; PDF page 20; collection label: United States
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- United States