Bitter medicine cures. Honest words sting.

What it means

The things that heal us rarely taste good. A true word can hurt, but it does you more good than a pleasant lie. Value the people who tell you what you need to hear.

The source

"Bitter medicine cures. Honest words sting." This Vietnamese proverb is recorded in Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T. Translated from the original Vietnamese by Spartan Surfers.

"Thuốc đắng dã tật, lời thật mất lòng."

Original Vietnamese, Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T. Text read at vi.wikisource.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 "Bitter medicine cures. Honest words sting." mean?

The things that heal us rarely taste good. A true word can hurt, but it does you more good than a pleasant lie. Value the people who tell you what you need to hear.

Who said "Bitter medicine cures. Honest words sting."?

Vietnamese proverb. Source: Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T.

What is the original Vietnamese?

Thuốc đắng dã tật, lời thật mất lòng. Translated from the original Vietnamese by Spartan Surfers.

Is "Bitter medicine cures. Honest words sting." on a shirt?

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

"Bitter medicine cures. Honest words sting." (Vietnamese proverb, Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/bitter-medicine-cures-honest-words-sting