ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
തെളിച്ചതിലെ നടക്കാഞ്ഞാൽ നടന്നതിലെ തെളിക്ക”
— English Translation:
If they will not walk along the cleared path, clear the path wherever they choose to walk. (Pragmatic adaptability; when people stubbornly resist rigid rules, adjust policy to accommodate human nature and reality.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുലാവർഷംകണ്ടു ഓടിയവനുമില്ല, കാലവർഷംകണ്ടു ഇരുന്നവനുമില്ല”
— English Translation:
No one ever fled before the retreating northeast monsoon, and no one ever sat idle before the torrential southwest monsoon. (Passing, intermittent showers call for no alarm, but great seasonal transformations demand immediate preparation and hard labor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേക്കുതടിക്കും തെമ്മാടിക്കും എവിടെയും കിടക്കാം”
— English Translation:
A seasoned teak log and a hardened vagabond can lie anywhere. (Those who are tough, resilient, and indifferent to comfort can endure and sleep in any rough corner.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുള്ളക്കാരനെ എല്ലാവരും അറിയും, തുള്ളക്കാരൻ ആരെയും അറികയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Everyone knows the oracle in trance, but the oracle in trance recognizes no one. (A person in the public spotlight is scrutinized by all, while consumed by a role that blinds them to the individuals watching.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാ ഉണങ്ങിയാൽ പിണ്ണാക്ക, എള്ളുണങ്ങിയാൽ എണ്ണ”
— English Translation:
When coconut dries it yields oilcake, but when sesame dries it yields oil. (Different natures yield different essences under pressure; each thing must be treated according to its inherent constitution.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
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.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാ ചോരുന്നതു കാണുകയില്ല, എള്ളു ചോരുന്നതുകാണും”
— English Translation:
Blind to coconuts rolling away, yet keenly spotting sesame seeds leaking through. (Penny-wise and pound-foolish; obsessing over microscopic trivia while oblivious to colossal, draining losses.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂകുമ്പൊൾ പെറുക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Pick up and recover while it is spilling. (Act promptly to contain damage and retrieve resources as soon as an error occurs.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാ പത്തരച്ചാലും താളല്ലെ കറി”
— English Translation:
Even if you grind ten coconuts into the broth, wild taro leaf remains wild taro. (Lavishing costly additions and superficial polish cannot transform something that is inherently coarse and unrefined.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുള്ളിതുടചേ തുടമാകൂ”
— English Translation:
Only drops gathered together fill the bowl. (Little drops of water make a mighty ocean; small, consistent efforts and thrifty savings build great success.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാപ്പിണ്ണാക്കിനു പ്രിയംവലിപ്പിക്കെണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
There is no need to artificially inflate the price of coconut oilcake. (Do not put on grand airs or demand an exorbitant value for a common byproduct.)

“”
— English Translation:
One who observes neither ritual purity nor the evening lamp. (An uncultured, irreverent rogue devoid of values, discipline, and respect for tradition.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിന്നവായും കൊന്നവായും അടങ്ങുകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
The mouth that gorges and the mouth that slays will never rest. (Insatiable gluttony and violent bloodlust can never be quieted or fully satisfied.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീണ്ടിയൊർക്കു മോർപ്പാള കളയരുതൊ”
— English Translation:
For those who have already incurred defilement, can they not even discard the soiled areca-leaf cup? (Once an unavoidable compromise or loss has occurred, there is no sense in fretting over shedding associated petty remnants.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിന്നുതിന്നു പന്നിയായി”
— English Translation:
Gorged and gorged until turning into a swine. (Unrestrained overindulgence and sloth degrading human character and health into crude coarseness.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീ പിടിക്കുമ്പോൾ കുളം കുഴിക്കാൻ പോകയൊ”
— English Translation:
Does one set out to dig a pond when the house is already on fire? (Waiting until a catastrophe strikes to begin basic preparations is an exercise in futility.)