spare the rod and spoil the child

English

Medieval schoolboy being birched

Etymology

Commonly claimed to have come from:

• King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24

  "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."

Due to the associated "spoil" concept which is not in the Bible, it more likely came from:

• A 17th century poem by Samuel Butler called “Hudibras”. In the poem, a love affair is likened to a child, and spanking is mockingly commended as a way to make the love grow stronger. The actual verse reads [1]:

  "What medicine else can cure the fits
  

  Of lovers when they lose their wits?
  

  Love is a boy by poets styled
  

  Then spare the rod and spoil the child."

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈspɛə(ɹ) ðə ɹɒd ənd spɔɪl ðə t͡ʃaɪ.ld/

Proverb

spare the rod and spoil the child

1. If one does not discipline a child, he or she will never learn obedience and good manners.

Translations

if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn obedience

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不打不成器 ‎(bù dǎ bù chéng qì)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: den man elsker, tugter man
• Dutch: zachte heelmeesters, stinkende wonden
• Esperanto: amo kaj puno loĝas komune
• Finnish: joka vitsaa säästää, se lastaan vihaa
• French: qui aime bien, châtie bien (fr)
• German: wer mit der Rute spart, verzieht das Kind
• Hebrew: עברית: חוסך שבטו שונא בנו

• Hungarian: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: chi ama bene, castiga bene
• Japanese: 可愛い子には旅をさせよ (ja) ‎(kawaii ko ni wa tabi o sase yo)
• Latin: qui bene amat, bene castigat
• Portuguese: quem ama, castiga
• Russian: пожале́ешь ро́згу — испо́ртишь ребёнка ‎(požaléješʹ rózgu — ispórtišʹ rebjónka)
• Spanish: escatima el palo y malcría al hijo
• Swedish: den man älskar, agar man, aga din son medan han är liten, annars agar han dig när han blir stor
• Thai: ^{(please verify)} พ่อแม่รังแกฉัน
• Turkish: insan sevdiğine takılırmış
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can