A broken hand works but not a broken heart.
A broken hand works but not a broken heart.
A bird in the hand is worth two in a bush.
This English proverb implies that we should be content with what is definitely with us than risking it for the sake of something which is not with us. It also says that those who run after plausible promises and hopes leaving the opportunities in hand. Hence one should aim higher goals only after making the maximum use of the available opportunities.
A bird which has been caught and is in our hand is definitely more worth than two in the bush, because the two birds are free and not yet caught.
The story of the greedy dog is a good example of this proverb. In this story the dog has a bone in his mouth and walks over the river bridge and looks into the water where he sees a reflection of himself. He thinks that there is another dog with bone inside the river and jumps into the river and loses his bone in the process. So the bottom line is that we should not risk something which is already in our possession.
This story tells us that we should care for what is with us at the moment and should not run after the things thinking the false promises and hopes.
A broken hand works but not a broken heart.
The Persian proverb stresses the need to keep relationships good with everybody without offending anybody. It is important not to tease our friends or relatives and offend them. This will earn us a bad name and when we a need a help from them, they will not help us. It is important not to hurt anybody in relationships.
There is a story of a very rich business man who had relatives whom he always teased and made fun of. One day suddenly he incurred a heavy loss in his business and he was left penniless. None of his relatives came forward to help him even though they could. This is a typical story where some broken hearts were not ready to help him.
There is a Persian story in which there lived a king and he had an army general who hated him. The army general was planning to overthrow the king and the king came to know about it from his spies and so he called a meeting of his ministers. The ministers suggested that the king should put his general in chains. The king instead called the general and talked with him and convinced him not to overthrow his empire. The general apologized to the king and said that he will be loyal to him.
When the general the ministers asked him why he did not put the general in chain, the king replied, “I have put his heart in chains."
The king with all his power could have easily put him chains. But he preferred to talk to the general and clear his problems rather than arrest him and break his heart.
A broken hand works but not a broken heart.
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