proverb · Words worth keeping
When Anger and Revenge get married, their daughter is called Cruelty.
When Anger and Revenge get married, their daughter is called Cruelty.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Anger and revenge are pictured as parents of cruelty. The family metaphor warns that retaliatory anger can produce harmful conduct.
What the words are saying
Marriage and daughter personify motives and consequences. The supplied gloss generalises this into children resembling parents, which does not explain the particular moral combination. A critical reading distinguishes anger as a feeling from chosen cruelty and does not predict children’s character from their family.
Everyday example
Someone recognises a grievance while considering a response that does not inflict further harm.
When to use it
Use it to explain the combination of motives and conduct rather than a rule about families.
What it does not mean
Anger does not inevitably cause cruelty, and the metaphor establishes no inherited character.
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 proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 909; PDF page 127
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.