proverb · Words worth keeping
Self restrain like an opossum, hunt like a jaguar. –Mayan
Self restrain like an opossum, hunt like a jaguar. –Mayan
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Restraint compared with an opossum and pursuit compared with a jaguar pair reserve with decisive action. The saying gives different animals different roles in conduct.
Example
A reader notices the two contrasting qualities without treating them as a method for hunting or proof of a cultural custom.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The comparisons are images rather than verified animal-behaviour rules or a hunting procedure. The precise traditional significance is not independently established, and the trailing Mayan label remains source wording. A qualified interpretation asks when restraint or purposeful action fits without endorsing harm or assigning a whole community one teaching.
When to use it
Use it only as a qualified restraint-and-action image.
Keep in mind
No animal method or independently verified traditional role and authorship is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Mexico
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- Mexico