“A fish rots from the head down.”
Corruption or failure within a group usually begins with its leadership.
— Traditional Cyprus Wisdom, Cyprus
Source: Traditional Cyprus proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Cyprus
An idle priest buries even the living.
A person with too much idle time meddles in matters that do not concern him, sometimes doing real harm.
Traditional Cyprus Wisdom
Read more →
He who feels no shame owns the whole world.
A person without shame can take whatever he wants from others without consequence.
Traditional Cyprus Wisdom
Read more →
Give the fool a sausage, and he will tell you it is bent.
A foolish person misjudges even a good thing, finding fault where there is none.
Traditional Cyprus Wisdom
Read more →
Do a good deed and cast it into the sea.
Do good for others without expecting anything back in return.
Traditional Cyprus Wisdom
Read more →
He made a camel out of a flea.
Exaggerating a small, trivial matter into something enormous.
Traditional Cyprus Wisdom
Read more →
Bathe a dog, wash a dog, it still smells like a dog.
A person's true nature cannot be changed by cleaning up the outside alone.
Traditional Cyprus Wisdom
Read more →