proverb · Words worth keeping
The dog I bought bit me; the fire I kindled burned me.
The dog I bought bit me; the fire I kindled burned me.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A bought dog biting its owner and a kindled fire burning its maker pair familiar investments with unwanted consequences. The saying questions ownership or origin guaranteeing a favourable response.
What the words are saying
The scenes are images, not animal or fire procedures. A responsible interpretation does not imply that a person deserves harm because they initiated something. A useful application examines actual conditions and consequences rather than assuming investment proves control.
Everyday example
Someone checks a project’s continuing effects instead of assuming that having started it makes every result beneficial.
When to use it
Use it to examine consequences beyond ownership or initiation.
What it does not mean
No animal or fire rule, inevitable harm or deserved injury 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
- 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 wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 572; PDF page 53; collection label: Assyria/Ethiopia
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Assyria/Ethiopia