The Book of Proverbs is very rich in wisdom. If you haven’t read it, start reading it (even if it’s only one verse every morning). If you’ve already read it, it’s good to revisit it.

“It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3).

King Solomon knew what he was talking about. First of all, “stop striving” is like in football. There is an expression called a “50/50 challenge”, which is when two players from opposite teams run to the ball and kick it at the same time; whoever wins the “50/50” gains an advantage. So, when the rivalry is intense, the player goes with all his strength without caring if he will injure the other. The “50/50 challenge” is a dangerous tackle in football, so it is avoided. The player must decide whether to engage in it in a split second. He thinks: “My foot is worth much more than this tackle.”

There are life questions like the “50/50 challenge”. “What is more important: winning this argument or maintaining peace?” But some make a big deal out of everything, even the smallest things. If the child does not close the toothpaste tube, the mother lashes out at the child. There are many examples.

These people are difficult to get along with. They are troublesome. And, usually, they don’t have many friends because others avoid them. They make a big deal out of many things that don’t matter.

You have to weigh the “50/50 challenge” on one side of the scale and on the other side the things worth much more (health, peace, employment, marriage, etc.). The wise do this calculation in fractions of seconds in their heads.

Sometimes, you want to prove that you’re right just to satisfy your ego. But staying focused on what matters is the result of wisdom. The wise do not engage in gossip and frivolous or useless things.

The second part of the proverb is also interesting. The fool thinks he has to get involved in everything. He calls someone: “I heard about it, so tell me.” The fool enters where he shouldn’t. In the few times he extracts something from his quarrelsome way of being, the outcome is much more negative than any advantage he could gain. Starting with the reputation that the fool has for being quarrelsome. Who likes a quarrelsome person? Who says, “Do I want to fall in love with a quarrelsome person?” But the fool is even proud to be like that.

I hope my message is that the “candidates for fools” will wake up and say, “I’d rather be honorable than foolish.” Over time, your reputation is worth more than your job, bank balance, or assets. Your good name is worth more than all that.

Think about it and watch the video above.