17. You grab a mad dog by the earswhen you butt into a quarrel that’s none of your business.
18-19. People who shrug off deliberate deceptions,saying, “I didn’t mean it, I was only joking,”Are worse than careless camperswho walk away from smoldering campfires.
20. When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
21. A quarrelsome person in a disputeis like kerosene thrown on a fire.
22. Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;do you want junk like that in your belly?
23. Smooth talk from an evil heartis like glaze on cracked pottery.