الساهى تحت راسه دواهى
El sahi taht rasu dawahi
Translation: In the mind of the quiet one lurks trouble.
Meaning: Don’t be deceived by appearances. The ones who are loud and annoying may not be the ones who will trick you, but the ones who look meek and clueless. The proverb is still in use, but tends to be cited as a joke, to tease friends. So you have a friend who talks little, doesn’t seem to have complaints about anything, and is generally minding his or her business, that’s the kind of friend you point at in a gathering and say “taht el sahi dawahi,” or I know that still water runs deep.
Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,
Translated by: Nabil Shawkat
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