Etiam instanti laesa repugnat ovis.
(Propertius 2.5.20

Even a sheep, when it is wounded, fights back against the one who is threatening
it.

(pron = ET-yahm in-STAHN-tee LAI-soh re-POOG-naht OH-wis)

Comment: What causes you to act outside your normal nature? For the poet,
Propertius, it was the wounds of love and the broken heart. My own experience
is that the broken heart, or anything that causes "internal bleeding"
metaphorically speaking, will show us a different face on ourselves.

I take this proverb for a very simple reminder of a very important lesson in
being human. When we see others acting outside their normal manner, we must
know that they are wounded. Wounds require care, or, ultimately, the wounded
dies.

That's all. Wounds require care. Some wounds do not heal easily.