ProverbPedia

“ ചെമ്പെന്നും ചൊല്ലി വെളിക്കൊ മണ്ണുകയറ്റിയതു”
English Translation:
Was it common dirt that was loaded onto the vessel under the pretext of being copper? (Slapping a precious label onto valueless filth does not make it worth the freight.)

— Malayalam

Related Mantras

“ തുള്ളികണ്ടുതുടച്ചേ തുടം കൊണ്ടുതേകൂ”
English Translation:
Wipe away the first visible leak before you are forced to bail out water by the pail. (Nip problems in the bud; addressing minor defects immediately prevents catastrophic inundation later.)

“ കൊച്ചികണ്ടവനച്ചിവേണ്ട, കൊല്ലംകണ്ടവനില്ലംവേണ്ട, അമ്പലപ്പുഴവേലകണ്ടവനമ്മയുംവേണ്ടാ”
English Translation:
He who has seen Kochi cares no more for a wife, he who has seen Kollam cares no more for his home, and he who has seen the Ambalappuzha festival forgets his own mother. (A celebrated saying illustrating how dazzling cities and magnificent spectacles can make one completely forget all domestic ties and responsibilities.)

“ നാട്ടിലെ വലിയോർപിടിച്ചാൽ അരുതെന്നു പാടുണ്ടൊ”
English Translation:
If the lords of the realm seize it, can anyone dare forbid them? (The defenseless have no recourse when tyrannical authority claims absolute entitlement.)