“No ___ is worse than bad advice”: Sophocles

Sophocles, the great Greek playwright once said, “No enemy is worse than bad advice”. Everyone who has faced a dilemma in their life knows how true these words are. But what could possibly be the missing word in this quote? People scratch their heads and rack their brains when they see this as a crossword clue.

But let me tell you a story that will connect this clue to its answer and make it easier to understand.

Once upon a time, in a small kingdom, there lived a wise old man, who was respected by all for his advice, which always proved to be right. One day, the king’s army was preparing to go to war with a neighboring kingdom, and the king asked the old man for advice. The old man warned the king that going to war was not wise, as their army was not strong enough to win against their opponent. But the foolish king ignored the advice of the wise old man and challenged the other kingdom to battle.

As expected, the king’s army was defeated, and they suffered heavy losses. The kingdom was left vulnerable to attack and the people were devastated. The old wise man had warned the king and given him good advice, but he had ignored it, making him the enemy of that wise advice.

Hence, we come to the answer to the crossword clue: “ENEMY”. The missing word was “ENEMY”, as anyone who ignores good advice can turn that advice into their enemy. Let this story serve as a reminder to always listen to wise advice, before it becomes your enemy.