గోడనుపెట్టి తడక తన్నాలిగాని, తడకనుపెట్టి గోడను తన్నకూడదు

godanupetti tadaka tannaligani, tadakanupetti godanu tannakudadu

Translation

One should kick a screen while leaning on a wall, but one should not try to kick a wall while leaning on a screen.

Meaning

This proverb emphasizes the importance of having a strong foundation or support system before taking action. It suggests that you should use a stable, powerful base to deal with weaker problems, rather than relying on something flimsy or weak to tackle a massive, immovable challenge. It is used to advise someone to assess their strengths and resources realistically before attempting a difficult task.

Related Phrases

For someone who can kick a palm tree, there will be someone who can kick their head.

This expression is used to remind people that no matter how powerful, clever, or skilled they think they are, there is always someone more capable or superior to them. It is a warning against arrogance and a reminder that every expert has a master.

There will be one who can kick the head of the one who kicks the top of a palm tree.

There are always people who are of superior abilities. One should try for the best in life, but after achieving a good position in life, one should not feel that one is at the top of the world; there are still higher peaks to reach.

Striking the mother's womb and not crossing the threshold.

This expression refers to someone who makes big promises or boasts about great things but fails to perform even the simplest task or take the first step. It is used to describe an idle talker who lacks the initiative to move beyond their immediate surroundings despite their potential or claims.

While eating one's own food and wearing one's own clothes, should one fear the village?

This expression is used to assert independence and self-reliance. It implies that if a person is self-sufficient, works hard for their own livelihood, and does not depend on others for basic needs like food or clothing, they do not need to worry about societal criticism or be intimidated by others' opinions.

Whether it's that way or this way, it's still the donation of a cow.

This expression is used to describe a situation where the outcome remains the same regardless of which choice is made or which path is taken. It highlights that certain actions lead to the same result or require the same level of sacrifice, making the distinction between choices irrelevant.

A man that kicks the heads of people who kick the tops of Palmyra trees. More wicked than the other.

This expression is used to describe a person who is smarter, more cunning, or more powerful than someone who is already considered clever or formidable. It is the equivalent of the English saying 'to meet one's match' or 'there is always a bigger fish.'

Having tied a bamboo mat, one should not kick a wall.

This proverb advises against challenging or attacking someone much stronger than yourself when you are in a weak or vulnerable position. Just as a flimsy bamboo mat (tadika) cannot withstand the recoil or impact of kicking a solid wall, a person with limited resources or power should not provoke a far superior opponent, as it will only result in self-injury.

He could not stand up, yet he talked of jumping up and kicking down a palmyra fruit.

This expression is used to describe someone who boasts about achieving grand, impossible feats while they are incapable of performing even the simplest, basic tasks. It mocks overambition and empty bragging by highlighting the gap between a person's actual ability and their claims.

Vain boasting.

Like catching the legs of a donkey because an ox is kicking.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone, in an attempt to escape one problem or danger, seeks help from an even worse or more unreliable source. It highlights the foolishness of choosing a remedy that is as bad as or worse than the original trouble.

He tells me to put the elephant into the cotton basket, to place the basket on his head, and to lift him up. Ékulabuttā is a very small hand basket. Being asked to do an utter impossibility.

This expression describes a person who creates an impossibly heavy or complicated situation through their own foolish actions and then expects others to help them out of it. It highlights the absurdity of self-created burdens and the unreasonable expectation for others to solve problems that defy logic.