Maybe children just want whatever it is they don't get. And then they grow up and give their children what they wanted, be it silence or information, affection or independence--so that child, in turn, craves something else. With every generation the pendulum swings from opposite to opposite, stillness and peace so elusive.

Meaning: A settlement may avoid the expense and strain of a prolonged dispute. The proverb favours agreement where it is fair and workable, without making cost a reason to abandon protection, accountability or a legitimate claim.

Meaning: A household may need to address problems rather than avoid every difficult conversation. The saying’s praise of chiding needs limits on how disagreement is expressed.

Meaning: A conflict that leaves no one unharmed has a terrible cost even if someone claims victory. The saying directs attention to what everyone loses when a contest becomes destructive.

Meaning: People who act from anger may find that trouble follows. Want here concerns lacking trouble, so the saying warns that angry reactions can supply plenty of it without making the emotion itself a moral failure.