The tongue has no bones but it breaks bones — words have no physical weight but they can cause injuries more lasting than any physical blow. A proverb about the power and danger of speech, the damage that gossip, insults, and accusations can do to a person's health, reputation, and spirit. The contrast between the boneless tongue and the bones it breaks is sharp and memorable.
In the tight social networks of Sicilian village life, where everyone knew everyone else's business and reputation was the only real currency, the tongue was the most dangerous weapon a person could wield. A well-aimed word of gossip could ruin a marriage negotiation, destroy a business relationship, end a friendship of decades. The malicious rumour circulated by a jealous neighbour could follow a family for generations. Women were considered particularly skilled — and particularly dangerous — in the Sicilian gossip tradition; the expression 'le lingue delle donne di Catania' (the tongues of Catania's women) was legendary. But men gossipped too, in the barbershop and the wine shop. The proverb served as warning to potential gossips and as consolation to victims: the instrument of your destruction has no bones — it is insubstantial, a piece of soft flesh — and yet it has destroyed you as surely as an axe.
A Sicilian proverb about the destructive power of words and gossip, common across Mediterranean cultures but particularly sharp in Sicily's honour-sensitive village society. 'A lingua' = la lingua (the tongue), 'nun havi' = non ha (does not have), 'ossa' = ossa (bones), 'rompi' = rompe (breaks). Found in oral collections across all of Sicily.
Warning a friend not to spread rumours about a colleague
Stai attento a quello che dici in giro. A lingua nun havi ossa ma rompi l'ossa — una parola sbagliata può distruggergli la carriera.
Be careful about what you say around. The tongue has no bones but it breaks bones — one wrong word can destroy his career.
After being hurt by malicious gossip
Non mi ha toccato, non mi ha minacciato. Eppure quello che ha detto in paese mi ha fatto più male di un pugno. A lingua nun havi ossa ma rompi l'ossa.
He did not touch me, did not threaten me. Yet what he said in the village hurt me more than a punch. The tongue has no bones but it breaks bones.
Teaching a child about responsible speech
Le parole non si riprendono. Prima di parlare, pensa. A lingua nun havi ossa ma rompi l'ossa — e le ossa rotte fanno male a lungo.
Words cannot be taken back. Before speaking, think. The tongue has no bones but it breaks bones — and broken bones hurt for a long time.
Mediating a village conflict started by gossip
Tutto questo disastro è cominciato da una chiacchiera al mercato. A lingua nun havi ossa ma rompi l'ossa — e adesso due famiglie non si parlano più.
All this disaster started from a piece of gossip at the market. The tongue has no bones but it breaks bones — and now two families no longer speak.