ProverbPedia

“ കോയിക്കൽ‌എണ്ണെക്കു മടിപിടിക്കെണം”
English Translation:
For oil gifted from the royal court, one must hold out one’s own cloth. (Accepting favors from powerful masters requires subservient accommodation, even when the handout is inconvenient or messy.)

— Malayalam

Related Mantras

“ കൂടംകൊണ്ടൊന്നെങ്കിൽ കോട്ടി (ചുറ്റിക) കൊണ്ടു രണ്ടും”
English Translation:
If struck once with a heavy sledgehammer, hit back twice with a mallet. (Answering brute force with persistent, agile countermeasures to achieve the desired outcome.)

“ ചങ്ങാതി നന്നെങ്കിൽ കണ്ണാടി വേണ്ടാ”
English Translation:
If your friend is true, you do not need a looking-glass. (A good friend serves as an honest mirror, reflecting your character, virtues, and faults without distortion.)

“ മാമാങ്കക്കടവത്തുകണ്ട പരിചയംകൂടിയില്ല”
English Translation:
Not even the distant acquaintance of having glimpsed each other at the crowded Mamankam festival ford. (Total and absolute strangers; lacking even the faintest or most incidental connection.)