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  What it means

  “Bow to God, but don’t anger the devil.” Be devout, but also be prudent — don’t needlessly provoke dangerous forces. A pragmatic folk wisdom that hedges its bets.

  Vocabulary

  • kłaniać się — to bow, to pay respects
  • gniewać — to anger, to irritate

  Grammar note

  'Bogu' — dative of 'Bóg'. 'Diabła nie gniewaj' — imperative with genitive object ('diabła') after negation.

  Cultural context

  Reflects a folk religiosity that acknowledged both divine and demonic forces as real presences in daily life.

  Intermediate

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