“A sharp axe can cut its own handle.”
Excessive cleverness or sharp dealing can eventually harm the very person who wields it.
— Traditional Kazakhstan Wisdom, Kazakhstan
Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Kazakhstan
The five fingers of a hand are not equal.
People differ from one another, and each should be judged and treated as an individual.
A person without a homeland is like a nightingale without a grove.
A person's identity and spirit are rooted in their homeland; without it, life feels empty.
Knowledge is a treasure that never runs out.
Unlike material wealth, learning and wisdom only grow the more they are used and shared.
He who works without laziness will have a full stomach without begging.
Honest, diligent labor provides for a person's needs; idleness leads to want.
The horse is a man's wings.
In nomadic steppe life the horse was essential to survival, travel, and honor, so it is prized as a man's truest companion.
A friend's words may make you cry, an enemy's words may make you laugh.
A true friend tells hard truths for your benefit, while an enemy flatters you to your harm.