# The best-known Indonesian proverbs and what they mean

"Calm water sweeps you away", "One drop of indigo spoils a whole pot of milk" and "However well a squirrel jumps, in the end it falls": the proverbs Indonesians use most, with their meaning and closest English equivalent, from Wikiquote's collection and proverb dictionaries.

- 32 votes · 20 items
- Apr 19, 2023 · Eko Utami
- https://even.best/en/l/5104/the-best-known-indonesian-proverbs-and-what-they-mean

## Top 20

1. **Calm water sweeps you away.** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — "Air tenang menghanyutkan." Meaning: Still waters run deep.
2. **However well a squirrel jumps, in the end it falls.** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — "Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh juga." Meaning: The pitcher goes so often to the well that it breaks at last.
3. **Cheat once in an exam and people distrust you for life.** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — "Sekali lancung ke ujian, seumur hidup orang tak percaya." Meaning: Trust, once lost, is hard to regain.
4. **Give them your liver and they ask for your heart.** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — "Kasih hati, minta jantung." Meaning: Give him an inch and he'll take a mile.
5. **Suffer first, enjoy later.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — "Bersakit-sakit dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian." Meaning: No pain, no gain.
6. **Different fields, different grasshoppers; different pools, different fish.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — "Lain ladang lain belalang, lain lubuk lain ikannya." Meaning: Every place has its own customs.
7. **Having fallen, the ladder falls on you too.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — "Sudah jatuh, tertimpa tangga pula." Meaning: Misfortunes never come singly.
8. **What breaks grows back, what is lost is replaced.** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — "Patah tumbuh hilang berganti." Meaning: Nothing is irreplaceable; the struggle goes on.
9. **Once the sweetness is gone, the pulp is thrown away.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — "Habis manis sepah dibuang." Meaning: Used and then discarded, like a fair-weather friend.
10. **The elephant before your eyes goes unseen, the germ across the sea is plain to see.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — "Gajah di pelupuk mata tak tampak, kuman di seberang lautan tampak." Meaning: You see the speck in your brother's eye but not the plank in your own.
11. **Diligence is the root of cleverness.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — "Rajin pangkal pandai." Meaning: Diligence is the mother of good luck.
12. **Play with water and you get wet; play with fire and you get burned.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — "Bermain air basah, bermain api hangus." Meaning: If you play with fire you get burned.
13. **Where there is smoke, there is fire.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — "Ada asap, ada api." Meaning: There is no smoke without fire.
14. **One drop of indigo spoils a whole pot of milk.** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — "Karena nila setitik, rusak susu sebelanga." Meaning: One rotten apple spoils the barrel.
15. **Hard things become possible through habit.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — "Alah bisa karena biasa." Meaning: Practice makes perfect.
16. **Don't assume calm water has no crocodiles.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — "Air tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya." Meaning: Look before you leap.
17. **Where there is a will, there is a way.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — "Di mana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan." Meaning: Where there's a will, there's a way.
18. **Who sows the wind will reap the storm.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — "Siapa menabur angin, akan menuai badai." Meaning: Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
19. **One stroke of the paddle, two or three islands passed.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — "Sekali merengkuh dayung, dua tiga pulau terlampaui." Meaning: To kill two birds with one stone.
20. **Think first, for regret afterwards is useless.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — "Pikir dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tiada berguna." Meaning: Look before you leap.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.