Conflict management idioms/proverbs

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Sep 7, 2023
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English
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Hi!

I'm studying conflict management styles in different cultures. I am collecting some English idioms to examine how they manage conflict. I realized that most of the idioms encourage taking care of conflict in confrontational way (or confrontational language). Maybe I'm wrong. I looked for some idioms concerning conflict avoidance and I found one (keep your powder dry) and one for conflict self-help (speak softly and take a big stick/ stoop to conquer). In eastern cultures I found things such as Shut the door from which the wind comes to you and rest, Stay away from evil and sing to it, Be polite as long as you are in their house, The hand you can't twist, kiss it and pray against it, and Pretend to be weak, until you win. So I wonder if you know any other English idioms that show conflict management including avoidance, tolerance, self-help, and negotiation.

Thank you in advance.
 

emsr2d2

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Jul 28, 2009
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English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
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UK
Hi!

I'm studying conflict management styles in different cultures. I am collecting some English idioms to examine how they manage conflict. I realized that most of the idioms encourage taking care of conflict in a confrontational way (or using confrontational language). Maybe I'm wrong. I looked for some idioms concerning conflict avoidance and I found one ("Keep your powder dry") and one two for conflict self-help ("Speak softly and take a big stick" and "Stoop to conquer"). In eastern cultures, I found things such as "Shut the door from which the wind comes to you", and "Rest, stay away from evil and sing to it", "Be polite as long as you are in their house", "The hand you can't twist - kiss it and pray against it", and "Pretend to be weak no comma here until you win".
So I wonder if you know any other English idioms that show conflict management including avoidance, tolerance, self-help, and negotiation.

Thank you in advance. Unnecessary. Thank us after we help you, by adding the "Thanks" icon to any response. you find helpful.
Please make sure you mark out sentences you're using as examples in some way. In the quote box above, I've enclosed each idiom in quotation marks. You could italicise them instead.
Please check your member profile. We've had many people who claim Aaland is their current location. It's never been true.

Off the top of my head, I came up with "[We need to] clear the air!", "I'm going to sit on the fence on this one" and "Let's bury the hatchet".
 
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