Discretion is the better part of valor. — English proverb

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Discretion is the better part of valor. — English proverb · Smartyfair

Wise sayings

Discretion is the better part of valor.

English proverb

Source not found yetWisdomAncient

In plain words

Being careful is often wiser than being extra brave.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 52% sureThe sources checked so far agree on this one. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
What turned up: Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act 5, Scene 4 (Falstaff, after feigning death at the Battle of Shrewsbury): "The better part of valor is discretion." Written/first performed 1597, printed 1598 (Q1). The now-common phrasing reverses Shakespeare's original word order.
Work: Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 1
Occasion: 1597 · Falstaff's line after feigning death at Shrewsbury
Sources checked: litcharts.comChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Act 5 Scene 4 text and modern translation

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Checked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026

Confirms original syntax vs. the commonly reversed modern phrasing

folger.eduChecked using claude-fable-5, 21 August 2026Folger edition, 1 Henry IV 5.4 (Falstaff): 'The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.' — earliest attestation of the sentiment, in reversed word order, confirmed by direct fetch

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