DID YOU KNOW?
The answer
Proverbs. The line is Proverbs 15:1, and it has a second half: "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." It is one of the sayings people quote that really is in the book, word for word.
Why it’s interesting
The two-line shape is the book's favorite form: the first line makes a claim, and the second turns it or finishes it. That shape is also why a line that was never a verse can sound like one.
Scholarly consensus
Learn the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.