As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly

From Textus Receptus

"As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly" is an aphorism which appears in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible — Proverbs 26:11. Its meaning is that fools are stubbornly inflexible and this is illustrated with the repulsive simile of the dog that eats its vomit again, even though this may be poisonous. Dogs were considered unclean in Biblical times as they were commonly scavengers of the dead and they appear in the Bible as repugnant creatures, symbolising evil.<ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref><ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref><ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref> The reference to vomit indicates excessive indulgence and so also symbolises revulsion.<ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref>

The incorrigible nature of fools is further emphasised in Proverbs 27:22, "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him."<ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref>

Development

The Greek translation in the Septuagint developed the idea, imbuing it with a sense of shame and guilt, "As when a dog goes to his own vomit and becomes abominable, so is a fool who returns in his wickedness to his own sin." This was due to the contemporary idea of the fool as ungodly.<ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref>

Usage

The proverb is a favourite of the British politician Ken Livingstone who used it on the occasion of his failure to rejoin the Labour Party in 2002.<ref>http://www.bible.net.au</ref>

It was also used on occasion in the Parliament of Australia by Paul Keating, in reference to his political opponents.

References

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