ఊరకున్నవాడికి ఊరేమి చేయలేదు

urakunnavadiki uremi cheyaledu

Translation

The village can do nothing to a person who remains silent.

Meaning

This expression emphasizes the power of silence and patience. It suggests that if a person remains calm, avoids unnecessary arguments, and stays silent during a conflict, even an entire community or a large group cannot harm them or provoke them into trouble. It is often used to advise someone to stay quiet to avoid escalating a situation.

Related Phrases

The one who remains silent is the greatest yogi

This proverb highlights the virtue of silence and patience. It suggests that a person who knows when to keep quiet, avoids unnecessary arguments, and maintains composure is as enlightened and wise as a great saint or yogi. It is often used to advise someone to stay calm and silent in provocative situations.

For the woman who doesn't want to work, her hands are always full of work.

This proverb is used to describe people who are lazy or unwilling to work, but constantly complain about having too much to do as an excuse to avoid their responsibilities. It highlights how someone can make themselves appear busy just to escape actual productivity.

Like the merchant who stayed silent after eating onions

This expression describes a situation where someone remains silent or acts as if nothing happened because they are trying to hide a mistake or a guilty secret. In the proverb, a merchant (traditionally avoiding onions for religious/social reasons) eats one and stays quiet to avoid the smell giving him away.

The rich give to the rich, and even the poor give to the rich.

This proverb highlights a social irony where resources and gifts often flow toward those who already have plenty, rather than those in need. It is used to describe situations where people prioritize pleasing influential or wealthy individuals while ignoring the underprivileged.

What does a town or a funeral bier matter to a walking corpse with no honor?

This proverb is used to describe a person who has lost their self-respect, reputation, or dignity. It implies that for someone living without honor, it makes no difference where they are or how they are treated, as they are effectively dead to society while still physically alive.

To a person who sits idle, imaginations are huge.

This proverb describes how an idle mind becomes a workshop for overthinking and grand fantasies. When a person has no work to do, their imagination grows disproportionately large, often leading to unrealistic plans or anxieties. It is used to point out that those who don't act tend to exaggerate ideas in their head.

Like applying an onion and pepper paste to someone who is staying quiet.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an innocent or quiet person is unnecessarily provoked, troubled, or dragged into a conflict. It refers to disturbing someone who is minding their own business, often causing them pain or a reaction they didn't seek.

A person without a coin cannot even buy a betel nut.

This proverb highlights the importance of money for even the smallest tasks or necessities. It suggests that without financial resources, one's ability to act or progress in the world is severely limited, emphasizing that money is a fundamental requirement for basic transactions.

What did the sari do to the moth? What did the field do to the pest?

This expression is used to highlight that blame often lies with the perpetrator or natural circumstances rather than the inanimate victim. Just as a sari cannot stop a moth from eating it and a field cannot stop a pest from infesting it, some damage is inevitable when an external destructive force acts upon something passive. It is often used to sarcastically question why someone is blaming the victim for the harm caused by others.

The one who has gives to the one who has; even the one who does not have gives to the one who has.

This proverb highlights a social irony where wealth continues to flow toward the wealthy. It describes a situation where both the rich and the poor tend to favor, gift, or serve those who are already influential and affluent, while those in actual need are often ignored.