Traditional Sri Lanka Wisdom

පිරුණු කළේ දිය නොසැලේ, අඩු කළේ දිය සෙලවෙයි

“A pot that is completely full makes no noise when shaken; a pot only half full rattles loudly.”

People with little real knowledge tend to talk the loudest, while those who are truly wise and well-informed stay calm and say little.

“You cannot swallow a medicine pill without your own throat knowing it.”

A person cannot hide the truth about their own actions from themselves.

“Whatever is thrown up into the air must come back down to the ground.”

Anything, or anyone, that rises too high or too fast will eventually fall back down.

“To the slender loris, her own baby looks like a precious gem.”

What appears worthless or plain to others can be dearly precious to the one who loves it.

“The bird that keeps jumping from branch to branch to escape the rain ends up soaked through and dies.”

Constantly running from a problem instead of facing it directly usually causes greater harm in the end.

අන්ධයාට මොන පහන් එළියද

“What use is the light of a lamp to a person who cannot see?”

A gift or piece of advice is wasted on someone who has no way to make use of it.

“In too much haste, a hand cannot even reach inside a narrow-necked pot.”

Rushing through a task makes a person clumsy and causes even simple things to go wrong.

“The whiteness of the heron is seen clearly only when it spreads its wings and flies.”

The true worth of a person or thing is often recognized only after it is gone or put to the test.

ගිනිපෙලෙල්ලෙන් බැට කාපු එකා කළාමැදිරියාටත් බයලු

“A man once burned by a firebrand fears even the faint glow of a firefly.”

A painful past experience can make a person fearful even of harmless things that merely resemble it.

“Do not grieve over the piece of jaggery that is lost — guard well the jaggery that remains.”

Do not dwell endlessly on what has already been lost; instead protect and value what you still have.

“One who fell into a pit at night does not fall into the same pit again in daylight.”

A wise person learns from a past mistake and takes care not to repeat it.

“Every kind of creature comes flocking to the tree that bears fruit.”

Success and wealth naturally attract many followers, friends, and hangers-on.

“When the blacksmith finds iron that yields easily, he hammers it all the harder.”

The more readily a person gives in or yields to others, the more they tend to be pressed and burdened.

අකලට පළගත් ගෙඩිය වාගෙයි

“Like a fruit that has ripened out of season.”

Describes something that appears at the wrong time, or a person who behaves in a way that does not suit the occasion.

අගේ ඉඳන් කණ කනවාලු

“Like feeding on the ear while sitting on the horn.”

Describes acting foolishly or carelessly, without any sense of the danger one is actually sitting on.

අඞුව තියෙද්දි අත පුච්චාගත්තා වාගේ

“To burn one's own hand even while holding a pair of tongs.”

Describes suffering harm through carelessness, even when the proper tools or means to avoid it were close at hand.

අනුන්ට කළදේ.. තමන්ට පලදේ..

“Whatever you do to others will, in the end, bear fruit for yourself.”

A person's actions toward others eventually return to affect their own life, for better or worse.

අඳුනන බල්ලො බුරනවා වාගේ

“Like the barking of dogs one already knows well.”

Describes a complaint or scolding from someone familiar that has become routine and is no longer taken seriously.

ඉස අල්ලන්ට නං පළමුවෙන් කකුල අල්ලන්ටලු

“If you wish to touch the head, you must first touch the foot.”

Important goals must be approached in the proper order, starting with the necessary first steps.

“Like poking a person who is about to cry, right in the eye.”

Describes making someone's pain or misfortune even worse at the very moment it is happening.

“Like kissing the very hand you would like to chop off.”

Describes showing false affection or flattery toward someone you actually resent.

“The crow's meat close at hand is worth more than the peacock's meat far away.”

A modest benefit that is within reach is more valuable than a greater one that is out of reach.

“Like using the cat's paw to rake jackfruit seeds out of the fire.”

Describes using someone else, or something ill-suited, to carry out a risky or difficult task instead of doing it oneself.

“Like trying to sow sweet potatoes using only your mouth.”

Describes a person who talks endlessly about doing work but never actually puts in the real effort.

“Like playing a violin for a deaf elephant.”

Describes wasting effort, skill, or advice on someone who is completely unable, or unwilling, to appreciate it.

“Like thrashing the deerskin at home after a deer has already eaten your crops in the field.”

Describes venting anger on a harmless substitute instead of addressing the real source of a problem.

“Like a bull goring a man who has already fallen from a tree.”

Describes one misfortune being followed immediately by another, making a bad situation even worse.

“Like a blind person throwing stones.”

Describes acting recklessly, without any way of knowing where the consequences will land.

“Like searching for feathers on a tortoise.”

Describes searching for something that does not exist and never will.

නයයි පොළඟයි වගේ

“Like the cobra and the viper.”

Describes two people, or two parties, who are bitter enemies and instinctively keep their distance from one another.

“Better to deal with the demon you know well than the one you do not.”

A familiar difficulty or a known risk is usually easier to face than an unknown one.

ගම්පලයයි රයිගමයයි වාගේ

“Like Gampola against Rayigama.”

Describes two equally matched, equally cunning rivals facing off against one another.

කතාව දෝලාවෙන් ගමන පයින්

“Between what is said and what is done lies a great distance.”

Talking about doing something is far easier than actually carrying it out.

අවවාදයට වඩා ආදර්ශය උතුම්

“Example is nobler than mere instruction.”

Showing someone the right way to act teaches far better than simply telling them what to do.

බුරන බල්ලෝ හපා නොකයි

“A dog that barks constantly is not fit for the hunt.”

A person who talks or complains loudly is often the least capable of real, effective action.

නටන්න බැරි මිනිහට පොළොව ඇදයිලු

“To the man who cannot dance, even level ground feels uneven.”

A person who lacks skill often blames their tools or surroundings instead of their own shortcomings.

“The dog neither eats the straw itself, nor lets the blind ox eat it.”

Describes a selfish person who gains nothing from something themselves, yet still prevents others from benefiting from it.

“While your beard is on fire, someone still comes to light their cigar from it.”

Describes people who exploit your misfortune for their own small convenience, even while you are suffering.

“If you go to the bat's wedding, you must be prepared to hang upside down.”

Whoever chooses to take part in something must be ready to accept its conditions and consequences.

ජන්මෙට වඩා පුරුද්ද ලොකුයි

“Habit outweighs even one's own birth.”

A person's ingrained habits can shape and reveal their character even more than the family or status they were born into.

“Too much affection ends in a quarrel, just as too strong a wind brings rain.”

Excessive closeness or indulgence between people often turns into conflict, the way an overly strong wind is a sure sign of coming rain.

“The adze that straightens timber is not itself perfectly straight.”

Those who correct or judge others are rarely without flaws of their own.

“If you want to turn a friend unfriendly, lend him a fanam.”

Lending money to a friend, however small the sum, is one of the surest ways to damage the friendship (a fanam was an old, low-value Ceylonese coin).

“There is no better friend than one's own courage.”

In times of difficulty, inner courage helps a person more than any outside friend.

“Even in a lotus pond, there are frogs.”

Even the finest, most beautiful settings or the best company still contain some undesirable or common elements.

“It is like going to the hunt with mongrels while your own hunting dogs sit tied up at home.”

Neglecting the good resources or skilled people you already have, and relying instead on poor substitutes, invites failure.

“Even if I am eaten alive, let the truth be told.”

A person of integrity is willing to suffer great harm rather than hide or abandon the truth.

“The truthful man finds no room even in a tavern.”

An honest person is often unwelcome among those who thrive on deception, since honesty exposes what they wish to hide.

“Not even elephants can drag back the wisdom that has already escaped you.”

An insight, chance, or moment of good judgment once lost through carelessness cannot be forced back, no matter how much strength is applied.

“Poverty is lighter to carry than kapok cotton.”

A person who owns nothing has nothing left to fear losing, making their burden lighter than it appears, since kapok, or 'imbul,' cotton is famously light.