spare the rod and spoil the child

Commonly claimed to have come from:

• King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24

  “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

Due to the associated “spoil" concept which is not in the Bible, it more likely came from:

• a 17th century poem by Samuel Butler called Hudibras. In the poem, a love affair is likened to a child, and spanking is mockingly commended as a way to make the love grow stronger. The actual verse reads:[1]

  “What medicine else can cure the fits
  

  Of lovers when they lose their wits?
  

  Love is a boy by poets styled
  

  Then spare the rod and spoil the child.”

spare the rod and spoil the child

1. If one does not discipline a child, he or she will never learn obedience and good manners.

• give him enough rope and he'll hang himself