Proverbs — Chapter 29

Vir qui increpationes dure sustinet, repente conteretur: nec ei aderit medela

He who stiffens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond healing. Lapide: The terrible consequence of hardening oneself against repeated correction. \"Dure sustinet increpationes\" (Hebrew: stiffening the neck when rebuked) = the man who repeatedly receives reproof (from conscience, from God, from good men) and persistently refuses to change. \"Repente conteretur\" = sudden destruction will fall on him — because mercy has been exhausted, the time of grace is past, and divine justice falls without warning. \"Nec ei aderit medela\" = and there shall be no remedy — the heart so long hardened becomes incapable of repentance.

Totum spiritum suum profert stultus: sapiens differt et reservat in posterum

A fool vents all his spirit; a wise man quietly holds it back. Lapide: Emotional self-control is a mark of wisdom. The fool immediately expresses every passion, every resentment, every impulse without restraint — \"totum spiritum profert\" (pours out the whole of his spirit). The wise man restrains himself — \"differt et reservat in posterum\" (defers and keeps something back for later). Lapide: Silence and restraint are virtues; the ability to wait, to withhold a sharp reply, to master one's temper is a sign of true wisdom and virtue. This is the virtue of patience applied to speech and emotion.