ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിന്നുമ്പോൾ പന്നിക്കു ചെവി കേൾക്കുകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
While devouring its food, the pig hears nothing with its ears. (People consumed by greedy self-interest become completely oblivious to wise counsel, warnings, and reason.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീയിൽ കുരുത്തതു (മുളെച്ചതു) വെയിലത്തു വാടുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will that which sprouted in raging fire ever wither under the midday sun? (A character forged in severe adversity, struggle, and trial will never break before ordinary hardships.)

“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.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുഞ്ചൊൻപുച്ച കെട്ടിഉഴുതപൊലെ”
— English Translation:
Like yoking a wild tomcat to a plow. (Attempting to carry out a heavy, serious task with completely unmanageable, absurdly mismatched instruments.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിരുവായ്ക്കെതിർവായില്ല”
— English Translation:
There is no answering word against the royal decree. (The word of supreme sovereign power allows no dispute, retort, or contradiction.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുടങ്ങല്ലമുമ്പെ അതാവതോളം, തുടങ്ങിയാൽ പിന്നതു കൈവിടല്ല”
— English Translation:
Hold back from starting as long as you can; but once begun, never let it go. (Deliberate carefully before committing, but once an enterprise is undertaken, see it through with unyielding perseverance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തിരുവോണത്തിനില്ലാത്തതു തീക്കൊള്ളിക്കൊ”
— English Translation:
What was withheld even for the great feast of Onam, is it now to be squandered on a burning firebrand? (If an asset was denied for the highest celebration, it is madness to waste it on destructive folly.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുടുപ്പെടുത്തൊളിച്ചാൽ കല്യാണം മുടങ്ങും”
— English Translation:
Imagining that hiding the serving ladle will bring the entire wedding to a halt. (Petty, childish sabotage attempting in vain to disrupt a massive, unstoppable event.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീകൊണ്ടു പുരവെന്താലും തീ കൂടാതെകഴിക്കാമോ”
— English Translation:
Even if the house burned down from fire, can one ever live without fire? (Essential necessities of life cannot be discarded simply because they carry inherent dangers.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീക്കട്ട ഉറുമ്പരിക്കാൻ കാലമായൊ”
— English Translation:
Has the time arrived for ants to swarm over live, glowing coals? (An absurd, unnatural inversion; questioning whether weaklings have truly grown bold enough to assault a formidable power.)

“”
— English Translation:
Wash a glowing red ember, and it turns into dead charcoal. (Clumsy, misguided attempts to "cleanse" a fiery, dynamic spirit end up extinguishing its vital power.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തീക്കനൽ അരിക്കുന്ന ഉറുമ്പു കരിക്കട്ട വെച്ചെക്കുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will an ant that can crawl over red-hot coals spare a lump of cold charcoal? (Someone who has faced and conquered mortal perils will make short work of trivial obstacles.)