Don't be too sweet or too bitter

Yiddish Proverb

Don't be too sweet lest you be eaten don't be too bitter lest you spewed out—Yiddish Proverb.

Meaning:

This proverb gives a piece of advice that people should not be too sweet or too bitter behaviour, in order to not being exploited or ignored by people.  

Thoughts:

In today’s 21^st century, it implies to us especially when we form new relationships like new friends, new colleagues or meeting new people in any area of the world. In this proverb, it is advised that you should keep balance in your talk and behaviour while relationship. It is crucial when we about to start a new relationship. Keeping balance in life is Hard; isn’t it.  

Vocabulary:

-         Lest (conjunction)

In order to prevent any possibility that something will happen

-         Spew (Verb)

To flow or let out in large amounts

-         Yiddish (Noun)

A language related to German that is spoken by some Jewish people

(Vocabulary meaning from Cambridge Dictionary)

Examples:

● Rashi's friends always took advantage of her sweetness. One day they asked to give her copies for exam preparation. She gave them but they didn't return it on time. Her mother advised Sonali, Don't be too sweet lest you be eaten don't be too bitter lest you spewed out.

● Kajal insults her colleagues related their clothes, hair and style. Slowly they stopped talking with her--she became alone. One day she tried to talk with them but they didn't talk. Then one of her friends told her kajal Don't be too sweet lest you be eaten don't be too bitter lest you spewed out.

●  Diya's mother loved her a lot but in return, she didn't get love. She always cried because her children, as well as her husband, always took her advantage. She became ill while having these tensions. Later in the article, she read a proverb Don't be too sweet lest you be eaten don't be too bitter lest you spewed out. She found her answer to overcome her issues in the proverb.

                                                                                              (Examples by Swati Tyagi)

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