The Book of Proverbs

Book of the Hebrew Bible · wisdom literature traditionally ascribed to King Solomon

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of Hebrew wisdom sayings in the Old Testament, traditionally attributed to King Solomon though compiled over centuries. Proverbs 16:18 — “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” in the 1611 King James Version — is the verse the popular one-liner is drawn from. The book’s terse, parallel couplets lend themselves to exactly this kind of shortening in everyday speech.

Traced to source

1 quote we’ve traced

“Pride comes before a fall”

Disputed

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