A fool always loses his temper, But a wise person holds it back.
Parallel translations
- WEB A fool vents all of his anger, but a wise man brings himself under control.
- KJV A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
- BSB A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.
- NKJV A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.
- NLT Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A fool unleashes all his anger, but a wise person restrains himself. It commends self-control over uncontrolled venting of emotion.
Overview
The proverb contrasts the fool who pours out all his anger with the wise person who holds it back under control. Mastery of one's temper is a mark of true wisdom. Such self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit, cultivated in those being conformed to the gentleness of Christ (Galatians 5:22-23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 19:11The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. It is his glory to overlook an offense.
- Prov 12:16A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent.
- Mic 7:5Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!
- Amos 5:13Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
- Prov 14:33Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, and is even made known in the inward part of fools.
- Prov 12:23A prudent man keeps his knowledge, but the hearts of fools proclaim foolishness.
- Judg 16:17He told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak, and be like any other man.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 29:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.