“Unpleasant medicine will sometimes cure you in the same way that people you don't like will sometimes benefit you.”
Just as bitter medicine can heal the body, difficult people or hard truths can still do us good.
— Traditional Bhutan Wisdom, Bhutan
Source: Traditional Bhutanese proverb, published in Gyonpo Tshering, The Bhutanese Guide to Happiness: 365 Proverbs from the World's Happiest Nation (Penguin Books India, 2012), p. 122
More Proverbs from Bhutan
Don't put an easy tongue in an easy mouth.
A warning against careless, excessive talkativeness — speak thoughtfully rather than freely.
If the thought is good, your place and path are good; if the thought is bad, your place and path are bad.
A person's inner intentions shape the course and quality of their life.
The stripes of a tiger are on the outside; the stripes of a person are on the inside.
An animal's nature is visible on its skin, but a person's true character is hidden within and only known over time.
A trustworthy person steals one's heart.
Genuine trustworthiness wins people's affection more surely than any other quality.
Do not start your worldly life too late; do not start your religious life too early.
Practical duties should be taken up promptly in youth, while spiritual devotion is best approached with the maturity that comes later in life.
A girl with a dedicated heart and good behaviour is more precious than your own heart.
Loyalty and good character in a loved one are valued above all else.