Let sleeping dogs lie

Meaning

Avoid restarting a conflict.

Examples

I knew he was stealing from me but, he is proud and he really needs the money. I preferred to let sleeping dogs lie and to say nothing.

Where did it originate?

Britain. 19th century but much earlier as a similarly-worded proverb.

Where is it used?

Worldwide, but like many proverbs, now considered rather old-fashioned.

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About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Let sleeping dogs lie