ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുത്തനെ പിടിക്കലും കരുത്തനെ പിടിക്കണം”
— English Translation:
If you take hold of someone for refuge, choose someone of real capability and strength. (Never stake your security on weak, unreliable patrons.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുതൂണുണ്ടെങ്കിലെ ഒരുമുറം ചാരിക്കൂടു”
— English Translation:
Only if a pillar stands firm can you lean a winnowing basket against it. (Even the humblest dependence requires a solid, upright foundation to lean upon.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുദിവസംതിന്ന ചോറും ഒരുനാൾകുളിച്ച കുളവും മറക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Never forget the meal you ate even for a single day, nor the pond where you bathed even once. (Cherish enduring gratitude for every kindness and haven granted to you in life.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരു നന്ദി ചെയ്തവനെ ഉള്ളത്തിൽവെക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Keep the one who showed you a kindness enshrined within your heart. (True loyalty means remembering and honoring your benefactors.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരു നാഴിയിൽ വേറൊരുനാഴി പോകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
One measuring cup cannot fit inside another of the exact same size. (Two individuals of identical pride and unyielding stubbornness cannot accommodate each other in the same room.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുമയുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ഉലക്കമേലും കിടക്കാം”
— English Translation:
Where there is unity, people can even sleep together on a narrow wooden pestle. (Genuine harmony and affection overcome cramped conditions and material lack.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരാറെവന്നതെല്ലാം പൂളോനും മക്കളും”
— English Translation:
All that washed down the river was swept away by Poolan and his sons. (A single dominant family or party monopolizing all the spoils or claiming every outcome.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുമയ്ക്കു ഒൻപതു വർക്കത്ത്”
— English Translation:
In solidarity there is ninefold blessing and abundance. (Unity brings compounded prosperity and strength.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരു അരിശത്തിനു കിണറ്റിൽചാടി, ഏഴരിശത്തിനു കേറാൻവയ്യാ”
— English Translation:
Leaped into a deep well in a single fit of fury, but cannot climb back out even with seven times that rage. (Rash decisions made in fleeting anger create traps from which no amount of fury can extricate you.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുമരം കാവാകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
A single tree does not make a sacred grove. (One person alone cannot form an institution or community; collective presence is essential.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരിക്കൽ ചത്താലെ ചുടുകാടറിയൂ”
— English Translation:
Only by dying once does one truly know the cremation ground. (Certain grim realities and ultimate truths can be understood only through direct personal experience.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുമേലാൻ(മാളൊരു)ചത്താൽ അതുകുറച്ചു വഴിമാറിയാൽമതി”
— English Translation:
If a carcass lies across the trail, it is enough to step slightly around it. (Do not create a grand drama over unavoidable nuisances; simply bypass them and continue on your way.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരു ഓല എടുത്താൽ ഇരു (അകവും)പുറവും വായിക്കണം”
— English Translation:
When you pick up a palm leaf, read both the front and the back. (Examine every issue thoroughly from both sides before arriving at a judgment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുമോഹങ്കൊണ്ടങ്ങൊട്ടു ചാടിയാൽ പല മോഹങ്കൊണ്ടിങ്ങൊട്ടുപോരാം”
— English Translation:
Leap over there chasing a single whim, and you will return trudging under a host of regrets. (Rashly pursuing a fleeting temptation often entangles one in deep, compounded difficulties.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുകൈകൊണ്ടു മുളം അളന്നുകൂടാ”
— English Translation:
You cannot measure a cubit with only one hand. (Certain enterprises inherently require cooperation; it takes two to tango.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഒരുവാതിൽ അടെക്കുംപൊൾ മറ്റൊന്നു തുറക്കും”
— English Translation:
When one door closes, another opens. (Every setback gives rise to fresh opportunities; hope is never entirely shut out.)