కొండంత తెలివికంటే గోరంత కలిమి మేలు

kondanta telivikante goranta kalimi melu

Translation

A fingernail-sized fortune is better than a mountain-sized intelligence.

Meaning

This proverb highlights the practical reality that sometimes a little bit of wealth or resources can be more immediately useful than vast knowledge or intelligence without any means to apply it. It is often used to emphasize that even small financial stability can provide more security than mere cleverness in difficult times.

Related Phrases

When it is as small as a finger nail, he makes a mountain of it. To make a mountain of a mole-hill.

This expression is used to describe someone who has a habit of exaggerating small, insignificant matters or trivial issues into major problems or grand stories. It is equivalent to the English idiom 'to make a mountain out of a molehill'.

All of it is just a hole/gap

This expression is used to describe a situation where there is a total loss, or when something is completely hollow, empty, or useless despite appearances. It implies that everything has gone down the drain or that the entirety of a matter results in nothingness.

One's own mountain-sized fault is seen as small as a fingernail, while another's fingernail-sized fault is seen as big as a mountain.

This proverb describes the common human tendency to be hypocritical. It refers to someone who minimizes or ignores their own massive mistakes while exaggerating and criticizing the smallest flaws in others. It is used to point out bias, lack of self-reflection, or unfair judgment.

Making a fingernail-sized thing into a mountain-sized one.

This expression is used to describe the act of exaggerating a small issue or a minor event into something much larger than it actually is. It is equivalent to the English idiom 'making a mountain out of a molehill'.

The power of the place is greater than the power of the man. Every man is powerful in his own house. Every one is a king in his own house. (Portuguese.)

This proverb highlights that the environment, position, or support system a person occupies often provides more power and security than their individual physical or mental strength alone. It is used to explain why someone in a strategic position or a supportive territory can overcome even those who are individually more powerful.

An offering of jaggery the size of a fingernail to a god as big as a mountain.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone offers a very small or insignificant token of gratitude or contribution in comparison to the massive favor or help received. It highlights the disparity between the greatness of the benefactor and the smallness of the gesture returned.

If it is as small as a fingernail, he makes it as big as a mountain.

This expression is used to describe a person who has a habit of exaggerating things or blowing small issues out of proportion. It is similar to the English idiom 'to make a mountain out of a molehill'.

A fingernail-sized delay causes a mountain-sized loss.

This proverb emphasizes the critical importance of punctuality and timely action. It suggests that even a tiny or negligible delay can lead to catastrophic or massive consequences. It is used to advise someone to be prompt and not to underestimate the risks of procrastination.

The lamp (wick) is of the size of a nail; illumination the size of a hill.

Even a small lamp can give a wide glow. Physical size does not always lead to insignificant actions. It is the largeness of purpose that makes the act big.

A tiny seed's worth of luck is better than a pumpkin's worth of intelligence

This proverb highlights that even immense intelligence or talent can sometimes be overshadowed by a small amount of good fortune. It is used to describe situations where hard work and wisdom fail to achieve what a lucky break manages to accomplish instantly.