This Egyptian proverb is from Hiba on wordreference.com:
من خرج من داره اتقل مقداره
(men kharag men daro it-al me-daro)
Literal meaning:A man can be humiliated if he leaves his home.
Meaning: A man's pride will be safe as long as he is in his own house, similar to "a man's home is his castle"
I found a very interesting thread on wordreference giving Arabic equivalents for the English proverb "beggars can't be choosers". This Iraqi version is my favorite:
مقدي وخنجرة بحزامة
(muqadi wakhanajara bihazaama)
Literal meaning: a beggar with a dagger in his belt.
Meaning: describes someone who tries to get his own way when he doesn't really have a choice.
Unlike the English proverb, most of these Arabic proverbs describe behavior: طرّار و يتشرّط (Tarraar wiyitsharraT), "a beggar and he sets conditions" (Saudi); شحات ونزهي (shaHaat wiyinazee) "a beggar but acting like a rich man." (Egyptian); شحات وعايز رغيف shaHaat wi'aayiz righeef -- a beggar and he wants a (whole) loaf (Egyptian).
I guess it's a universal sentiment
An Arabic proverb from John Lewis Burckhardt’s book The Manners And Customs Of The Modern Egyptians.
اذا اراد ربنا هلاك نملة انبت لها اجنحة
Literal meaning: If God proposes the destruction of an ant he allows her to grow wings.
Meaning: The sudden elevation of persons to stations above their means or capacities, may often cause their ruin (a little like the biblical proverb "pride goes before the fall"
You can download a free pdf of the book here. For more information on John Lewis Burckhardt see his wikipedia page.
Note: This book was published in the 19th century, so the proverbs I quote may no longer be used. If a proverb is out date, comment below.
