suffer fools gladly
Endure stupid people
To suffer fools gladly is to tolerate stupid or tedious people with patience.
The phrase appears almost exclusively in the negative: She doesn't suffer fools gladly means she has little patience for incompetence or foolishness.
The expression comes from the Bible, where Paul sarcastically commends the Corinthians for their willingness to endure fools.
Saying someone doesn't suffer fools gladly is often backhanded praise—acknowledging both high standards and a certain impatience or harshness.
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
- patience of a saintExceptional capacity for endurance
- impatienceIntolerance of delay
- short fuseTendency to anger quickly
- play the foolFeign stupidity deliberately
irritable · thin skin · social grace · tact · hold one's peace · folly · intolerance · no nonsense · sharp tongue · turn the other cheek · diplomacy · let bygones be bygones · grin and bear it · compassion · understanding · ignorance · ineptitude · thoughtlessness
suffer fools gladlynot mince words
suffer, suffers, suffered, suffering, sufferer, sufferers, sufferable, insufferable, sufferance