సూదేటుగాణ్ణి, సుత్తేటుగాణ్ణి, కండేటుగాణ్ణి నమ్మకూడదు.

sudetuganni, suttetuganni, kandetuganni nammakudadu.

Translation

Do not trust the needle-worker, the hammer-worker, or the weaver.

Meaning

This is a traditional proverb highlighting a belief that certain professions (tailors, blacksmiths/goldsmiths, and weavers) are prone to delaying work or withholding material. It suggests being cautious with their promises regarding deadlines and material honesty.

Related Phrases

You should not trust a needle-worker, a hammer-wielder or a bottom-thrower. i. e. a tailor, a blacksmith, or a weaver.

This is a traditional proverb reflecting historical social prejudices against certain trades—specifically tailors (needle), blacksmiths/goldsmiths (hammer), and weavers (spindle). It implies that individuals in these professions were perceived as cunning or likely to cheat their customers by skimming off small portions of the material (cloth, metal, or thread) provided to them. In a modern context, it serves as a cautionary saying about being wary of professionals who have the opportunity to deceive in small, unnoticeable ways.

A hundred tailors, a hundred millers, and a hundred weavers are three hundred thieves. (Spanish.)* * Clen pastres, cien molineros, y cien texederos son tresientos ladrones.

Hunger knows no taste, sleep knows no comfort.

When someone is truly hungry, they don't care about the taste or quality of the food; they just want to eat. Similarly, when someone is exhausted and needs sleep, they don't care about the comfort or luxury of the bed; they can sleep anywhere. This expression is used to highlight that basic survival needs override preferences or luxuries.

The road does not know authority; sleep does not know luxury.

This proverb highlights that certain natural states or circumstances are indifferent to status or comfort. Traveling on a road requires effort regardless of one's social standing (authority), and when a person is truly exhausted, they will fall asleep regardless of how comfortable the bed is.

The person who is thin (destitute) knows no shame, and the one who is fat (arrogant/powerful) knows no relationship.

This proverb describes how extreme circumstances change human behavior. A person who is starving or in desperate poverty loses their sense of shame because survival becomes their only priority. Conversely, a person who is blinded by wealth, power, or arrogance often ignores social boundaries, ethics, and family ties (kinship). It is used to comment on how desperation and vanity can both erode a person's character.

Like the mortar going to the drum to complain about its woes

This expression is used when a person who is already suffering seeks help or sympathy from someone who is suffering even more. While a mortar (rolu) is hit on one side, a drum (maddela) is beaten on both sides, implying that the person being approached has more troubles than the one complaining.

God knows the truth, just as water knows the slope.

This proverb expresses that truth is inevitable and self-evident to a higher power or the natural order, just as it is the natural property of water to flow towards lower ground. It is used to assert one's honesty or to imply that the truth will eventually find its way out regardless of attempts to hide it.

Blindness knows no quality; interest (usury) knows no tip (limit).

This proverb highlights two relentless or indifferent states. Just as a blind person cannot perceive the quality or beauty of something, a moneylender or the concept of interest (interest on debt) is indifferent to the struggles of the debtor and only cares about accumulation. It is used to describe situations where someone acts without empathy or when a burden keeps growing regardless of the circumstances.

Do not trust the one who holds a needle, the one who holds a hammer, and the one who holds a spindle.

This is a traditional proverb warning against professions historically perceived as being prone to pilfering or cheating their customers. It refers to the tailor (needle), the goldsmith (hammer), and the weaver (spindle), suggesting that they might keep a small portion of the material (cloth, gold, or yarn) provided by the client for themselves.

Hunger doesn't know taste, sleep doesn't know comfort, and love doesn't know shame.

This proverb highlights how basic instincts and strong emotions override physical conditions or social norms. When a person is extremely hungry, they don't care about the taste of the food; when extremely tired, they don't need a soft bed; and when in love, they lose their sense of inhibition or shame.

There is no lie unknown to oneself, and there is no lineage unknown to the mother.

This proverb emphasizes absolute truth and intimacy. Just as a person internally knows when they are lying regardless of what they tell the world, a mother knows the true origin and character of her children better than anyone else. It is used to suggest that some facts are impossible to hide from those at the source.