If you want to know what a culture is wary of, look at what its proverbs mock. Nepali ukhan tukka mock pride, envy and the habit of judging other people, and they do it with images that are hard to forget: a louse, a buffalo, a frog, an axe. Here are the best of them.
Seeing everyone's flaws but your own
अर्काको आङ्गको जुम्रा देख्ने, आफ्नो आङ्गको भैसी पनि नदेख्ने
Arka ko aang ko jumra dekhne, aafno aang ko bhaisi pani nadekhne.
It is easy to point out others' flaws but difficult to recognize one's own shortcomings
A person who spots a louse on someone else's body but misses the buffalo on their own. The comparison in size is the whole joke.
आफ्नै छोरी नखर्माउली, तन्नेरीलाई दोष
Aafnai chhori nakharmauli, tanneri lai dosh.
Look at yourself before blaming others
The speaker's own daughter will not behave, so they blame the young men. A sharp saying about blaming outsiders for a problem that starts at home.
अरूले हात्ती चढे भनेर आफूले धुरी चढ्नु हुँदैन
Aru le hatti chade bhanera aafu le dhuri chadnu hudaina.
One should not imitate others' mistakes, but learn from them instead
Because others made a mistake, do not copy it. Learn from the example instead. A rare proverb that is advice rather than mockery.
Pride goes before the fall
अहंकारी भ्यागुताको ट्वार ट्वारै ठूलो
Ahankari bhyaguto ko twar twar nai thulo
The conceited think their own faults are small
The conceited frog thinks its croak is the biggest sound in the world. It is a picture of someone who is loud about themselves and blind to their own faults.
आफू ताक्छु मुडो, बन्चरो ताक्छ घुँडो
Afu taakchhu mudo, bancharo takchha ghundo.
Don't be too proud, It may harm you
I aim for the log, the axe hits my knee. Overconfidence that ends in self-inflicted injury, which is as physical as a proverb gets.
आलु खाएर पेडाको धाक
Aalu khaayera pedaa ko dhaak.
Acting arrogantly due to intoxication, without realizing that the perceived courage is not real
Boasting after eating a potato. The courage is borrowed from something that is not really there, and the proverb says it will not last.
Envy
अर्काको गहना लगाउनु, नाक कान दुखाउनु
Arka ko gahana lagaunu, naak kaan dukhaunu.
Envy over others' possessions is a cause of distress
Wear someone else's jewellery and your nose and ears ache, the ornaments being worn through piercings. The proverb says that wanting what belongs to others only causes you discomfort.
अर्काको बारीमा साग छ, मुटु मिचेर के लाग्छ
Arkaa ko baari maa saag chha, mutu michera k laagchha.
There is no gain in envying others' prosperity and good fortune
There are greens growing in someone else's field, so why crush your own heart over it? Envy gets you nothing, since the greens are still not yours.
A theme with a long life
Look at how little of this is about anger. These sayings treat pride and envy as a kind of foolishness, something to laugh at, which is probably the most effective way to talk someone out of them. Browse the collection to find more in the same spirit.