A bold enemy beats a cowardly friend.

What it means

An open opponent at least tells you where you stand. A friend who vanishes when it matters does more harm. Value nerve and honesty over comfort.

The source

"A bold enemy beats a cowardly friend." This Scottish proverb is recorded in Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 13. Translated by Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862).

"A bauld fae is better than a cowardly friend."

Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862), Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 13. Text read at archive.org.

Who said it

Proverbs of the world (Every age). Sayings from the Latin, Greek, Norse, Japanese, Chinese and more, each traced to an old source in its own language.

Questions

What does "A bold enemy beats a cowardly friend." mean?

An open opponent at least tells you where you stand. A friend who vanishes when it matters does more harm. Value nerve and honesty over comfort.

Who said "A bold enemy beats a cowardly friend."?

Scottish proverb. Source: Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 13.

What is the original wording?

A bauld fae is better than a cowardly friend (Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862)). Translated by Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862).

Is "A bold enemy beats a cowardly friend." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"A bold enemy beats a cowardly friend." (Scottish proverb, Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland (3rd ed.), p. 13, trans. Original Scots (Hislop, The Proverbs of Scotland, 1862)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/a-bold-enemy-beats-a-cowardly-friend