పొరుగింటి బాన పాడి కంటే, తన ఇంటి గిద్ద పాడి మేలు

poruginti bana padi kante, tana inti gidda padi melu

Translation

The small measure of milk in one's own house is better than a large pot of milk in the neighbor's house.

Meaning

This proverb emphasizes the value of self-reliance and ownership. It suggests that having a small amount of something that belongs to you is more reliable and beneficial than depending on a large amount that belongs to someone else. It is used to advise people to be content with what they own rather than looking at others' wealth.

Related Phrases

Ten acres are better than ten coins (panalu)

This proverb emphasizes the value of land and sustainable resources over liquid cash. It suggests that while money (panalu) is temporary and easily spent, owning land (acres) provides long-term security, livelihood, and stability for generations.

When an ill-treated daughter-in-law at last got some bad food from her mother-in-law, she told the neighbours she had been sumptuously fed. Real want is not dainty.

This proverb describes a person who is so deprived or in such a desperate situation that even the smallest, lowest-quality help feels like a massive luxury. It is used to highlight extreme gratitude born out of severe necessity, or sometimes to mock someone's lack of standards due to their poverty-stricken state.

When a starving woman was given stale food, she told the neighbors that her mother-in-law served her a royal feast.

This proverb describes a person who is so deprived or desperate that even the smallest, most insignificant favor feels like a grand gesture. It is used to highlight situations where someone's extreme need makes them overly grateful for something of very low value, or when someone tries to cover up their poor circumstances by glorifying a meager offering.

O lady neighbours! see the conduct of my husband. Inviting the sympathy of those who cannot interfere.

This expression is used to mock someone who unnecessarily broadcasts their private family matters or domestic trivialities to the entire neighborhood to gain sympathy or attention. It highlights the tendency of some people to make a public spectacle of their personal problems.

Look at my 'big hand' (generosity) in the neighbor's house.

This proverb is used to describe a hypocrite who pretends to be generous or charitable using other people's resources or properties. It refers to someone who shows off their status or kindness at the expense of others while contributing nothing themselves.

A quarrel in the neighbor's house is a joy to hear.

This proverb highlights a common human tendency to find entertainment or amusement in the conflicts and troubles of others, particularly neighbors, while ignoring one's own issues. It describes the voyeuristic pleasure people sometimes take in gossip and local drama.

Having fallen ill repeatedly, he finally reached hell.

This expression describes someone who has suffered through prolonged, excruciating illness or hardship for a long time before finally passing away or reaching a state of absolute misery. It is used to emphasize a journey of continuous suffering where death or the final outcome feels like a tragic end to a painful process.

Like melting ghee for the neighbor's pancakes.

This expression describes a situation where someone works hard or spends resources on something that only benefits others and provides no benefit to themselves. It is used to highlight wasted effort or misplaced generosity where the doer gains nothing.

Counting the rafters of the house where you were fed.

This expression is used to describe an act of extreme ingratitude or treachery. It refers to someone who seeks to harm or find faults in the person or household that provided them with food and shelter. It is commonly used to criticize those who betray their benefactors.

If my husband had masculinity, why would I need the neighbor's company?

This is a bold proverb used to describe a situation where someone seeks external help or a substitute only because the person who is supposed to be responsible or capable is failing to fulfill their duty. It highlights that if one's own resources or people were effective, there would be no need to depend on outsiders.