proverb · Words worth keeping
To forget a wrong is the best revenge.
To forget a wrong is the best revenge.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Giving a past wrong less hold over your attention can be more useful than retaliation. The saying values moving beyond resentment without requiring you to erase what happened or abandon necessary protection.
Example
A former collaborator stops revisiting a resolved argument during every new project but still uses a written agreement when working with others.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The proverb turns revenge into something different from harming the person who caused the wrong: the proposed answer is to forget it. A useful interpretation concerns refusing to let a settled grievance keep organising one’s life. Forget is forceful wording, and literal erasure of memory is neither something everyone can choose nor always desirable. Remembering may help maintain a boundary or explain a concern. The saying does not establish that every wrong is settled or that seeking a remedy is vindictive. Its practical distinction is between a response serving a present purpose and repeated retaliation that keeps the conflict central.
When to use it
Use it when retaliation over a past resolved wrong is displacing useful present action.
Keep in mind
Letting go does not require forgetting evidence, removing boundaries or abandoning a fair remedy.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English