ProverbPedia

“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.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂണുംചാരിയിരിക്കുന്നവനു പയിറ്റാമെന്നൊരു മോഹം തോന്നും”
— English Translation:
He who merely leans against the arena pillar fancies that he too can leap into martial combat. (Armchair critics; idle spectators watching safely from the sidelines imagine difficult disciplines are easy.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂറാത്തവൻ തൂറിയാൽ തീട്ടംകൊണ്ടാറാട്ടം”
— English Translation:
When one who never excreted finally does, the whole town is submerged in filth. (When someone unaccustomed to action, authority, or spending finally breaks out, they indulge to an uncontrollable, vulgar excess.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുറിയോനെ പേറിയാൽപേറിയോനെയും നാറും”
— English Translation:
If you carry a soiled person on your back, the bearer will reek just as foully. (Harboring, shielding, or associating with a corrupt person smears their filth and dishonor directly onto you.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂറാൻമുട്ടുമ്പോൾ ആസനം അന്വേഷിക്ക”
— English Translation:
Searching for one's own rear when the urge turns desperate. (Frantic, comical confusion; scrambling to locate basic essentials only when acute urgency strikes.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിരക്കുള്ള ചോദ്യത്തിനു സമയംപോലെ മറുപടി”
— English Translation:
To a frantic, hurried inquiry, deliver a calm reply at your own pace. (Never let someone else's impatient rush pressure you into a hasty, ill-considered response.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീയെന്നു പറഞ്ഞാൽ നാക്കുവേകുമോ (പൊള്ളിപോയൊ)”
— English Translation:
Does the tongue blister merely by speaking the word "fire"? (Merely talking about danger or naming harsh realities causes no physical harm; words are not the things themselves.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിര അടങ്ങി കുളിക്കാമൊ”
— English Translation:
Can one ever bathe in the ocean by waiting for the surf to grow calm? (If you wait until all troubles and disruptions vanish, you will never accomplish anything; life requires action amid turbulence.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീയെടുത്താൽപൊള്ളാതിരികുമോ”
— English Translation:
If you pick up fire in your hands, can it fail to burn? (Engaging in dangerous, corrupt deeds brings unavoidable injury and ruin.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിരനീക്കി കടലാടാൻ കഴിയുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Can you bathe in the sea by sweeping the waves aside? (You cannot eliminate life's natural challenges by force; you must learn to navigate them as they are.)