Aanuvu kaani chota adhikula manaraadu.
“One should not claim authority in a place where it does not belong to them.”
A Telugu proverb of Mauritius's Indo-Mauritian community cautioning against overstepping one's true standing in unfamiliar settings.
— Traditional Mauritius Wisdom, Mauritius
Source: National Inventory for Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Mauritius (National Heritage Fund & Ministry of Arts and Culture), Domain 1: Oral Traditions and Expressions, Category I: Folk Sayings, Element 1: Proverbs (submitted to UNESCO)
More Proverbs from Mauritius
Even still water has its depth.
Calm, quiet people should not be underestimated — a still surface can hide deep knowledge or feeling.
Every night has its morning.
No matter how dark or difficult a time feels, it will pass and better days will follow.
Water on taro leaves.
Criticism or harsh words roll off without effect, like water sliding off a taro leaf — "in one ear and out the other."
He prays to God but does the devil's business.
Calls out hypocrisy — someone who acts pious in public while behaving badly in private.
A goat's tongue.
A compliment for someone whose words carry real weight and tend to come true, as if spoken with an almost prophetic tongue.
Today me, tomorrow you.
What goes around comes around — fortune or misfortune eventually reaches everyone in turn.