ProverbPedia

“ വെരുകിൻപൃഷ്ടവും നായിൻപൃഷ്ടവും ഒരുപോലെയൊ”
English Translation:
Is the tail of a civet cat the same as the tail of a street dog? (Superficial resemblances mask vast differences in intrinsic worth; the civet produces costly musk, while the cur produces only filth.)

— Malayalam

Related Mantras

“ കള്ളുപീടികയിൽ നിന്നു പാലു കുടിച്ചാലും കളെളന്നെപറയൂ”
English Translation:
Even if you drink fresh milk inside a toddy tavern, everyone will swear you drank liquor. (Suspicious environments destroy reputation; innocent actions in disreputable places are always judged guilty.)

“ തഞ്ചത്തിനു വളംവേണ്ടാ; വളത്തിനു തഞ്ചംവേണ്ടാ”
English Translation:
Skill needs no extra manure, and rich manure needs no cunning trick. (True mastery and rich innate substance do their own work; when genuine quality is present, artificial gimmicks are unnecessary.)

“ വേലി തന്നെ വിതെച്ച പുഞ്ചക്കു വിനാശമൂലം”
English Translation:
The fence itself becomes the cause of ruin for the sown crop. (When protective measures or heavy fortifications end up suffocating and destroying the enterprise they were meant to shield.)