An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

This saying is commonly attributed to the Buddha in modern quotation collections, typically as a warning about the dangers of bad companionship. In early Buddhist teaching, ethical and spiritual progress is strongly shaped by one’s associates: “good friends” (kalyāṇa-mitta) support virtue and clarity, while corrupt companions encourage harmful actions and distorted views. The image contrasts physical danger (a wild animal) with psychological and moral harm (a deceitful friend), aligning with Buddhist emphasis on the mind as the primary site of suffering and liberation. However, this exact English wording is not securely traceable to a single canonical discourse in the Pali Canon.

The quote argues that betrayal and moral corruption from someone trusted can be more destructive than overt, external threats. A wild beast harms the body in a limited, visible way; an “evil friend” can damage judgment, values, and peace of mind—injuries that may persist and spread into one’s actions and future suffering. In Buddhist terms, the deeper danger is not merely emotional pain but the cultivation of unwholesome states (greed, hatred, delusion) and the erosion of right view. The warning is therefore practical: choose companions carefully, because intimacy grants influence, and influence shapes the mind.