Uppar thukba ta naak par gire la.
“Spit upward, and it falls back on your own nose.”
Actions meant to demean or harm someone beyond your reach tend to return and injure the one who acted.
— 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.