Proverbs on Avoiding Foolishness

Proverbs 1:7

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1:32

For they are simpletons who turned away from me – to death. They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them.

Proverbs 5:23

He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly.

Proverbs 9:5

Leave you foolish ways behind and begin to live; learn how to be wise.     

Proverbs 9:7-8

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more.

Proverbs 9:13-18

The woman called Folly is loud and brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t even know it. She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city. She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. “Come home with me,” she urges the simple. To those who are without judgment, she says, “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!” But the men don’t realize that her former guests are now in the grave.

Proverbs 10:1

A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.

Proverbs 10:8

The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.

Proverbs 10:13-14

Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding, but fools will be punished with a rod. Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites trouble.

Proverbs 10:18

To hide hatred is to be a liar; to slander is to be a fool.

Proverbs 10:21

The godly give good advice, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

Proverbs 10:23

Doing wrong is fun for a fool, while wise conduct is a pleasure to the wise.

Proverbs 11:29

Those who bring trouble on their families inherit only the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise.

Proverbs 12:1

To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

Proverbs 12:11

Hard work means prosperity; only fools idle away their time.

Proverbs 12:15

Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.

Proverbs 12:16

A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

Proverbs 13:16

Wise people think before they act; fools don’t and even brag about!

 Proverbs 13:19

It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools will not turn from evil to attain them.

Proverbs 13:20

Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 14:6-9

 A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it, but knowledge comes easily to those of understanding. Stay away from fools, for you won’t find knowledge there. The wise look ahead to see what is coming, but fools deceive themselves. Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.

Proverbs 14:15-18

Only simpletons believe everything they are told! The prudent carefully consider their steps. The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with great confidence. Those who are short-tempered do foolish things, and schemers are hated. The simpleton is clothed with folly but the wise person is crowned with knowledge.

Proverbs 14:33

Wisdom is entrained in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools.

Proverbs 15:7

Only the wise can give good advice; fools cannot do so.      

Proverbs 15:21

Foolishness brings joy to those who have no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path.

Proverbs 17:7

Eloquent speech is not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler.

Proverbs 17:12

It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in folly.

Proverbs 17:16

It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool who has no heart for wisdom.

Proverbs 17:28

Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

Proverbs 18:2

 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

Proverbs 18: 6-7

Fools get into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; their lips get them into trouble.

Proverbs 18:13

What a shame, what folly, to give advice before listening to the facts!

Proverbs 19:29

Mockers will be punished, and the backs of fools will be beaten.

Proverbs 20:3

 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.

Proverbs 21:20

The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.

Proverbs 23:9

Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.

Proverbs 24:9

The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone despises a mocker.

Proverbs 26:1

Honor doesn’t go with fools anymore than snow with summer or rain with harvest.

Proverbs 26:3-12

 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back! When arguing with fools, don’t answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are. When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation. Trusting a fool to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison! In the mouth of a fool, a Proverb becomes as limp as a paralyzed leg. Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot. A Proverb in a fool’s mouth is as dangerous as a thorn bush brandished by a drunkard. An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots recklessly. As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.

Proverbs 28:26

Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe.

Proverbs 29:11

A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back.