Question

Read the aphorism. A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. What is the meaning of this aphorism from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack?

Answer 1

It means that if you get hurt or get into a fight you can get over it, whereas if you say something without thinking/ say the wrong thing it can take much longer to recover from the effects.

Answer 2

The meaning of this aphorism is that a slip of the foot, that is to say, attempting to succeed in some given enterprise and failing in doing so (or in other words, choosing to act but failing, for whatever reason) is not as bad as talking without thinking (a slip of the tongue), since the latter can bring unforeseen, hurtful, and unfortunate consequences: what is once said cannot be taken back, whereas action can always be resumed and made better.