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“Like a monkey given a flower.”
Describes someone who receives something valuable or beautiful but does not know how to appreciate or care for it.
— Traditional Cocos Malay Wisdom, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Source: Traditional Malay proverb, shared regional heritage of the Cocos Malay community, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Like the bamboo and the riverbank.
Two parties depend on and protect one another, each strengthening the other.
Little by little, in time it becomes a hill.
Small, steady efforts accumulate into something great over time.
The elephant's liver is shared together, the germ's liver is shared together.
Whether the gain is great or small, it should be divided fairly among everyone.
Heavy things are carried together, light things are carried together.
Every burden and every joy in life should be shared between people who stand together.
To bend the bamboo, start while it is still a shoot.
Children should be guided and shaped while they are still young.
Like a frog beneath a coconut shell.
A person with a narrow, sheltered view of the world thinks their small corner is all there is.