if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas/ɪf juː lˈaɪ dˌaʊn wɪð dˈɑːɡz juː wɪl ɡɛt ˌʌp wɪð flˈiːz/sentence
used to emphasize that if a person associates with people of questionable character or behavior, they are likely to adopt those negative qualities themselves
"Bad company influences you negatively — if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas."
"He started mixing with dishonest people and his own reputation suffered — if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas."
a goose quill is more dangerous than a lion's claw/ɐ ɡˈuːs kwˈɪl ɪz mˈoːɹ dˈeɪndʒɚɹəs ðˌænə lˈaɪənz klˈɔː/sentence
used to imply that the written word can be more influential and powerful than physical force or violence
"Written words are more powerful and lasting than physical force — a goose quill is more dangerous than a lion's claw."
"The published exposé did more damage than any legal action could have — a goose quill is more dangerous than a lion's claw."
evil communications (more often than not|) (tend to|) corrupt good manners/ˈiːvəl kəmjˌuːnɪkˈeɪʃənz mˈoːɹ ˈɔfən ðɐn nˌɑːt tˈɛnd tʊ kɚɹˈʌpt ɡˈʊd mˈænɚz/sentence
used to emphasize that bad company or associations can negatively influence a person's behavior and character
"Bad influences corrupt good people — evil communications corrupt good manners."
"The team's culture deteriorated after a few toxic new hires — evil communications corrupt good manners."
he (that|who) touches pitch shall be defiled/hiː ðæt hˌuː tˈʌtʃᵻz pˈɪtʃ ʃˌæl biː dɪfˈaɪld/sentence
used to warn that if someone engages in something that is considered wrong or immoral, they are likely to be negatively impacted by it, resulting in a loss of reputation or moral standing
"Associating with bad things makes you bad — he that touches pitch shall be defiled."
"Working so closely with the corrupt organisation tainted the firm's reputation — he that touches pitch shall be defiled."
the rotten (apple|tooth) injures its neighbors/ðə ɹˈɑːʔn̩ ˈæpəl tˈuːθ ˈɪndʒɚz ɪts nˈeɪbɚz/sentence
used to imply that a person with bad character or behavior can negatively influence and harm the ones around them
"One bad person damages everyone around them — the rotten tooth injures its neighbours."
"One consistently negative team member undermined the whole group — the rotten apple injures its neighbours."
(rotten|bad) apple [spoil] the (whole|) (barrel|bushel|bunch)/ɹˈɑːʔn̩ bˈæd ˈæpəl spˈɔɪl ðə hˈoʊl bˈæɹəl bˈʊʃəl bˈʌntʃ/sentence
used to imply that a single bad or negative element within a group can have a harmful or corrupting influence on the entire group, leading to a decline in overall quality or integrity
"One bad apple spoils the whole bunch."
"A single rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel, so remove problems quickly."
bad company corrupts good morals/bˈæd kˈʌmpəni kɚɹˈʌpts ɡˈʊd mˈɔːɹəlz/sentence
used to imply that associating with people who have bad habits or engage in immoral behavior can negatively impact one's own values and behavior
"Bad friends change you for the worse — bad company corrupts good morals."
"He was a good student until he fell in with the wrong group — bad company corrupts good morals."
Learn all 7 words in this list with spaced repetition