Traditional Bangladesh Wisdom

অতি লোভে তাঁতি নষ্ট

“Excessive greed ruins the weaver.”

Wanting too much or being too greedy ultimately leads to a person's own downfall.

নাচতে না জানলে উঠান বাঁকা

“When you cannot dance, you blame the courtyard for being crooked.”

An incompetent person blames external circumstances instead of admitting their own lack of skill.

যত গর্জে তত বর্ষে না

“It does not rain as much as it thunders.”

Those who make the loudest threats or boasts rarely follow through with real action.

চোরের মায়ের বড় গলা

“The thief's mother has the loudest voice.”

The guilty party often shouts the loudest to hide or deflect from their own wrongdoing.

গাছে কাঁঠাল গোঁফে তেল

“The jackfruit is still on the tree, yet oil is on the moustache.”

Do not celebrate or make preparations for a reward you have not yet secured.

বজ্র আঁটুনি ফস্কা গেরো

“A tight knot makes a slip-loose bind.”

Overly rigid or excessive control often produces the very failure it was meant to prevent.

ঢিল মারলে পাটকেল খেতে হয়

“If you throw a clod, you must expect a brickbat in return.”

Aggression or provocation invites retaliation, often greater than the original act.

অল্প বিদ্যা ভয়ংকরী

“A little learning is a dangerous thing.”

Partial or incomplete knowledge can be more harmful than complete ignorance.

বানরের গলায় মুক্তার মালা

“A pearl necklace around a monkey's neck.”

Something valuable given to one who cannot appreciate or make use of it.

কানা ছেলের নাম পদ্মলোচন

“The blind boy is named Lotus-Eyed.”

Giving a grand name or label to something that is the exact opposite of it.

অভাবে স্বভাব নষ্ট

“Want ruins one's character.”

Poverty and desperate need can corrode a person's good nature and morals.

অতি দর্পে হত লঙ্কা

“Excessive pride destroyed Lanka.”

Unchecked arrogance and pride bring about one's own downfall, as pride is said to have led to the fall of Ravana's kingdom of Lanka.

অতি চালাকের গলায় দড়ি

“The rope goes around the neck of the overly clever.”

Excessive cunning or scheming eventually leads to one's own ruin.

আমড়া গাছে আম হয় না

“Mangoes do not grow on a hog-plum tree.”

You cannot expect a fine or valuable outcome from a source that is simply not capable of producing it.

আপন ভালো তো জগৎ ভালো

“If you yourself are good, the whole world seems good.”

A person's inner nature colors how they perceive and judge everyone and everything around them.

উলুবনে মুক্তো ছড়ানো

“Scattering pearls in a field of weeds.”

Offering something precious to those who cannot recognize or appreciate its worth is wasted effort.

কুকুরের পেটে ঘি সহ্য হয় না

“A dog's stomach cannot tolerate ghee.”

Someone unaccustomed to good fortune or fine things cannot handle them properly when they finally receive them.

চকচক করলেই সোনা হয় না

“Not everything that glitters is gold.”

Outward appearance can be deceiving; something attractive on the surface may lack any real worth.

চিলে কান নিয়ে গেছে

“The kite has flown off with your ear!”

Warns against blindly believing a rumor and reacting on it without first checking the truth for yourself.

ঠাকুর ঘরে কে? আমি কলা খাই না

“Who is in the prayer room? I never eat the offering bananas.”

Mocks someone caught red-handed who feigns innocence and denies any wrongdoing.

দুধ কলা দিয়ে কালসাপ পোষা

“Rearing a black cobra on milk and bananas.”

Nurturing or being kind to an ungrateful or dangerous person who will eventually turn and cause harm.

ধরি মাছ না ছুঁই পানি

“Catch the fish without so much as touching the water.”

Describes someone who wants a reward or result without taking any real risk or getting their hands dirty.

পরের ধনে পোদ্দারি

“Playing the generous banker with someone else's money.”

Mocks a person who acts magnanimous or makes grand decisions using resources that do not belong to them.

পান্তা ভাতে ঘি

“Ghee poured on stale, watered rice.”

Describes an unnecessary luxury added to something already plain and sufficient, a needless extravagance.

যেমন কর্ম তেমন ফল

“As is the deed, so is the fruit it bears.”

A person's actions determine the results and consequences they will eventually reap.

মেঘ না চাইতেই জল

“Rain falls even before the cloud is asked for it.”

Describes an unexpected stroke of good fortune that arrives before it was even hoped for.

যার লাঠি তার মাটি

“Whoever holds the stick owns the land.”

Power and force, rather than fairness, often determine who truly controls a situation or resource.

শাক দিয়ে মাছ ঢাকা

“Trying to cover a fish with a few leaves of greens.”

Attempting to hide a large fault or scandal behind a flimsy, inadequate cover-up.

সাপও মরে লাঠিও না ভাঙে

“Kill the snake, yet do not break the stick.”

Achieving a difficult goal while carefully avoiding any collateral damage or loss along the way.

হাতি ঘোড়া গেল তল, পিঁপড়া বলে কত জল

“Elephants and horses drowned in the water, yet the ant wonders how deep it could possibly be.”

Mocks a weak or ill-equipped person who recklessly attempts something that overwhelmed even the strong.

একে তো মরার উপর খাঁড়ার ঘা

“As if death were not enough, a sword blow lands on top of it.”

Describes a fresh misfortune striking on top of an already dire situation, adding insult to injury.

নিজের পায়ে কুড়াল মারা

“Striking one's own foot with an axe.”

Describes an act of self-sabotage, causing harm to oneself through one's own careless action.

চোরে না শুনে ধর্মের কাহিনী

“The thief pays no heed to tales of righteousness.”

A person set on wrongdoing will ignore moral teaching or sound advice regardless of how it is delivered.

যেই লাউ সেই কদু

“The same gourd, just called by a different name.”

A superficial change in name or appearance while the underlying substance remains exactly the same.

আগে ঘর তারপর পর

“One's own home comes first, others come after.”

One's first duty is to care for family and one's own before extending help to outsiders.

এক হাতে তালি বাজে না

“One hand alone cannot clap.”

A conflict or an agreement always involves more than one party; blame is rarely one-sided.

আপনি বাঁচলে বাপের নাম

“If you yourself survive, only then does your father's name endure.”

Look after your own survival and well-being first, since you cannot help or honor anyone if you perish.

ঝোপ বুঝে কোপ মারা

“Strike the blow only after reading the bush.”

Advises acting decisively at the right opportune moment, seizing a chance as soon as conditions allow.

কয়লা ধুলে ময়লা যায় না

“Coal does not lose its blackness no matter how much it is washed.”

A person's fundamental nature or character cannot be changed no matter how much effort is spent trying.

যা রটে তা কিছু বটে

“What is widely rumored holds at least some truth.”

Suggests that persistent gossip or rumor, however exaggerated, is usually rooted in a grain of real fact.

মশা মারতে কামান দাগা

“Firing a cannon just to kill a mosquito.”

Describes using excessive force or resources on a trivial problem that needed only a small, simple effort.

ঝিকে মেরে বউকে শেখানো

“Scolding the maidservant in order to teach the wife a lesson.”

Rebuking or punishing one person indirectly in order to send a pointed warning to someone else.

যে রাঁধে সে চুলও বাঁধে

“She who cooks the meal also finds time to braid her hair.”

A truly capable person can skillfully manage several responsibilities at once without neglecting any of them.

চেনা বামুনের পৈতা লাগে না

“A Brahmin already known to all needs no sacred thread to prove it.”

A person of proven reputation and worth does not need external symbols or credentials to be recognized.

সবুরে মেওয়া ফলে

“Patience bears the sweetest fruit.”

Good things come to those who wait; patience and perseverance are eventually rewarded.

নদীর এপার ভাঙে ওপার গড়ে

“One bank of the river erodes away while the other is built up.”

Fortune constantly shifts; what is lost by one is often gained by another as life's tides turn.

চোরে চোরে মাসতুতো ভাই

“Thieves are like maternal cousins to one another.”

Wrongdoers tend to recognize, side with, and shield one another rather than expose each other's misdeeds.

দুরাশা দুঃখের মূল

“False hope is the root of sorrow.”

Clinging to unrealistic expectations or hopes ultimately leads to disappointment and grief.

যেখানে বাঘের ভয় সেখানে সন্ধ্যা হয়

“Right where the tiger is feared most, that is exactly where the evening falls.”

The very misfortune a person dreads most tends to catch up with them at the worst possible moment.

অতি বাড় বেড়ো না ঝড়ে পড়ে যাবে

“Do not grow too tall, or the storm will bring you crashing down.”

Excessive ambition or pride invites a harder fall; humility protects against a dramatic downfall.