Let sleeping dogs lie

1. Do not stir up a problem that has lain quiet for some time.

Idioms and Phrases

Allow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie . This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s.