proverb · Words worth keeping
The tongue talks at the head's cost.
The tongue talks at the head's cost.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Words can have consequences for the person who speaks them. The tongue and head divide the act of speaking from the burden that follows.
What the words are saying
The tongue is imagined to act while the head pays the cost. This can warn against unsupported accusations, careless promises or impulsive insults. It should not blame people punished unfairly for truthful speech, or imply that retaliation is justified. A careful use separates foreseeable responsibility for one’s words from the responsibility of others for how they respond.
Everyday example
A person corrects an exaggerated public claim before it damages trust and creates further obligations.
When to use it
Use it to consider responsibility for what one says.
What it does not mean
Unfair retaliation remains the responsibility of those who impose it.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1638 · Tongue
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English