proverb · Words worth keeping
Scald not your lips in another man's pottage.
Scald not your lips in another man's pottage.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Be careful about becoming entangled in another person’s difficulty and suffering consequences that are not yours to take on. The hot-food image encourages judgement about involvement, rather than forbidding useful help.
Example
Before posting about a neighbour’s disagreement, a resident asks whether public comment would help and offers private practical support instead of speaking on the neighbour’s behalf.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Hot pottage can burn the lips of someone tasting it, and the meal belongs to another person. The image lends itself to a warning about entering a dispute or affair without understanding the consequences. A person may take on a quarrel, speak for someone without permission or expose themselves to avoidable trouble. The proverb does not mean that another person’s problem should always be ignored. Support can be valuable, especially when it is requested and offered with clear limits. Its practical question asks what role is appropriate, what consent is needed and which responsibilities actually belong to the person who is considering intervening.
When to use it
Use it when involvement in another person’s affair needs clearer consent, boundaries or information.
Keep in mind
Avoiding needless entanglement is not a reason to ignore harm or refuse appropriate assistance.
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