នំមិនធំជាងនាលិ។
“A cake is always smaller than the pot it was baked in.”
A result can never exceed the resources or effort that produced it — keep ambitions realistic.
— Traditional Khmer Wisdom, Cambodia
Source: Traditional Khmer proverb (សុភាសិត), public-domain oral tradition
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When the water rises, the fish eat the ants; when the water recedes, the ants eat the fish.
Fortunes turn. Those who are powerful today may be powerless tomorrow, so never be cruel in strength.
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Keep company with the wise and gain wisdom; keep company with fools and gain sorrow.
The company you keep shapes what you become.
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A falling leaf lands not far from its trunk.
Children carry the nature of their family and roots.
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One mountain does not hold two tigers.
Only one leader or dominant force can rule a single place at a time.
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You may know a great deal yourself, yet still respect what others know.
Humility means recognizing that others hold knowledge you may lack, however capable you are.
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Sitting in the winnowing basket, still he lifts himself up.
A mocking image of self-praise — boasting about oneself while in a lowly position achieves nothing.
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