Literal translation
Who sows thorns, let him not walk barefoot
Meaning
who sows thorns should not walk barefoot: wrongdoing comes back on you
Explanation
This proverb warns that whoever spreads harm or wrongs others exposes themselves to the consequences of their own actions, and must therefore guard against them. The farming image is plain: sowing thorns in a field means littering the ground with dangerous points, and whoever did so would commit the height of folly by then walking barefoot across that same field, risking injury from their own handiwork at any moment. The proverb thus frames, as a cautionary recommendation, the idea that bad deeds come back on their doer: since one cannot stop one's own thorns from wounding, one should at least put on shoes before crossing one's own path. It is used to warn someone plotting mischief, slander or revenge that the harm they sow may well return to them. The register is sententious and moralising, typical of farming proverbs carrying an ethical lesson.