ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിഴൽ (നില) മറന്നു കളിക്കരുത്”
— English Translation:
Never play while forgetting your own shadow (or your actual station). (Never lose sight of your background, limitations, and roots; do not act with inflated, foolish arrogance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിത്യംകാണുന്നകോഴി നിറംപിഴെക്കും”
— English Translation:
The fowl seen every day appears dull in color. (Familiarity breeds contempt; constant everyday exposure blinds us to the genuine beauty and worth of what is close at hand.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിഴലിനെകണ്ടിട്ടു മണ്ണിന്നടിച്ചാൽ കൈവേദനപ്പെടുകയല്ലാതെ ഫലം ഉണ്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
If you strike the ground upon seeing a shadow, what result is there except hurting your own knuckles? (Fighting imaginary threats, shadows, and illusions brings nothing but self-inflicted pain.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിന്ന കുന്നു കുഴിക്കല്ല”
— English Translation:
Do not dig away the soil from the very hill on which you stand. (Never undermine or destroy the institution, foundation, or benefactor that sustains you; do not saw off the branch you are sitting on.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നീണ്ടനാവിനു കുറിയആയുസ്സ്”
— English Translation:
A long tongue has a short life. (Those who indulge in reckless gossip, slander, and insolence bring swift trouble and premature ruin upon themselves.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിന്റെവായികണ്ടാൽ വെളുത്തേടന്റെ അറതുറന്ന പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Looking into your mouth is like opening the washerman's linen storeroom. (Incessant, uncontrolled blabbering that airs everyone’s dirty laundry and exposes messy gossip.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നീചരിൽചെയ്യുന്ന ഉപകാരം നീറ്റിലെ വരപോലെ”
— English Translation:
A favor done for the vile is like a line drawn upon water. (Acts of benevolence and kindness bestowed upon ungrateful, base individuals vanish without leaving the slightest trace of gratitude.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിന്റെകെട്ടും എന്റെകൊത്തും സൂക്ഷിച്ചൊ”
— English Translation:
Watch out for your grip and be wary of my strike! (A mutual warning exchanged between rivals sizing each other up; every hostile action invites a swift counter-blow.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നീന്താൻ തുനിഞ്ഞാൽ ആഴം അറിയണമോ”
— English Translation:
Once you are fully resolved to swim across, do you need to fret over the depth of the water? (When absolute determination is made to face an ordeal, measuring the magnitude of danger becomes irrelevant.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിന്റെവയറു ചാലിയന്റെപയിമ്പപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Your belly is like the weaver's starch trough. (A cavernous, insatiable appetite that consumes vast quantities of food without ever appearing full.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നീന്താമാട്ടിനെ വെള്ളംകൊണ്ടുപോകും”
— English Translation:
The cattle that refuse to swim will be swept away by the floodwaters. (Those who fail to develop essential survival skills and adapt during crises will be washed away by the tide.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിറക്കുടം തുളുമ്പുകയില്ല, അരക്കുടംതുളുമ്പും”
— English Translation:
A full pot does not splash, but a half-filled pot sloshes and spills over. (A person of profound wisdom and integrity remains calm and modest, whereas shallow pretenders make noisy displays of their little knowledge.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നീരായാലും മോരെ പേയായാലും തായെ”
— English Translation:
Be it plain water, call it rich buttermilk; be she a harsh spirit, she is still your mother. (Contentment with humble fare and steadfast filial reverence toward parents, regardless of their temper.)

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— English Translation:
In a land of naked people, the one wearing a loincloth is deemed a lunatic. (In an environment where corruption, madness, or ignorance is universal, the solitary upright person is mocked as abnormal.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നീരൊലി (നീരോശ) കെട്ടു ചെരിപ്പഴിക്കണമോ”
— English Translation:
Must one take off one's sandals merely upon hearing the distant trickle of water? (Taking premature, anxious precautions long before encountering an actual hurdle; crossing bridges before coming to them.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നിറയപുറപ്പെട്ടാലും ഒരുവശം ചരിഞ്ഞുകിടക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Even if you set out with full forces, maintain room to tilt and yield to one side. (Even when wielding overwhelming power or resources, retain flexibility, humility, and caution rather than acting with rigid arrogance.)