Proverbs 26:4
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like unto him.
– Proverbs 26:4
This verse continues the theme of fools and works together with the next verse, which seems to be contradictory. The difficulty presented by the seemingly opposite statements is representative of the difficulty of dealing with fools in general. The key is in the second phrase in each saying. The consequence in this verse is being like a fool yourself. Don’t reason like a fool, use verbal overflows, answer before understanding, etc. In other words, don’t abandon wisdom to answer a fool.