Hold not with the hounds and run with the hare.

Understand the thought

Meaning in plain English

Do not present yourself as committed to incompatible sides without addressing the conflict. Hounds and hare give opposed directions to the same person, without requiring rigid loyalty when circumstances or duties change.

What the words are saying

The person is imagined supporting the hounds while also running with the hare they pursue. Figuratively, someone may offer commitments that cannot both be fulfilled as stated. A useful reading identifies the conflict and makes the person’s role clear. Working with different parties can be appropriate when responsibilities and limits are transparent, and changing a position can be honest. The proverb should not make mediation or reconsideration seem inherently disloyal. Its concern is concealed inconsistency between commitments, rather than a demand to choose a side in every disagreement or a licence to accuse someone without knowing the arrangement.

Everyday example

A volunteer advises two groups seeking the same room and explains the potential conflict, agreeing which neutral information they can provide without promising each group priority.

When to use it

Use it when commitments to different parties may conflict and need clarification.

Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.