Better the ill ken'd than the gude unken'd.
Better the nag that ambles a' the day than him that makes a brattle for a mile and then's dune wi' the road.
Better thole a grumph than a sumph.
Be troubled rather by an intelligent, though surly man, than by a stupid one.
Better tine life than gude fame.
"I might hae fled frae this Tolbooth on that awfu' night wi' ane wha wad hae carried me through the warld, and friended me, and fended for me. But I said to them, Let life gang when gude fame is gane before it."—Heart of Midlothian.
Better tine your joke than tine your friend.
Better to haud than draw.
Better to rule wi' the gentle hand than the strang.
Better twa skaiths than ae sorrow.