| # | Khmer (script) | Transliteration (approx.) | Literal meaning | Heuristic / When to use it |
| 1 | «ចូលស្ទឹងតាមបត់ ចូលស្រុកតាមប្រពៃណី» | Chol stœng tam bât, chol srok tam prâ‑pei‑ni | “Enter a river by its bends; enter a country by its customs.” | Adaptive leadership: study the local currents—of water or culture—before you row ahead. |
| 2 | Catch a fish without muddying the water (no standard script recorded) | Tɾál trey màin lœ̆ŋ jirăh tœ̆k | Get results without making a splash. | Stealth execution & low‑friction deal‑making. |
| 3 | «សួរពិវេទនៃបេះដូង ត្រូវសួរមុខ» (common popular form) | Suor pi‑vée‑t nĕy beh‑daong, trauv suor mokh | “For news of the heart, ask the face.” | Read non‑verbal signals; the body leaks what the mouth withholds. |
| 4 | «មានទឹក មានត្រី» | Mien tœ̆k, mien trey | “Where there is water, there is fish.” | Spot opportunities: the right environment breeds its own rewards. |
| 5 | «អ្នកមិនចាំបាច់កាប់ដើមឈើដើម្បីបានផ្លែនោះទេ» | Nak mĭn châm‑bach kap daem‑chheu dâm‑bei ban phlé nŏh té | “You don’t have to cut the tree down to get its fruit.” | Sustainable thinking: harvest today without killing tomorrow’s yield. |
| 6 | «ដុតដល់ឆ្អែត ឬទុកឲ្យឈ្ងុយ» | Dot dol chhaèt, rœ̆ tok aoy chnguoy | “Burn it to a crisp, or leave it raw.” | Go all‑in or don’t start—half‑measures waste fuel. |
| 7 | “If you are doing wrong, make sure you don’t get fat from it.” (colloquial) | Thveu ak‑rok, kom khnhom ngob | Don’t flaunt illicit gains. | Risk management: stay small/lean when operating in gray zones. |
| 8 | “Physical death is better than the death of reputation.” | Slap leak chea la‑â, slap châm‑rieng thngai chea a‑krâh | Honor outlives flesh. | Brand‑ and trust‑protection for founders & leaders. |
| 9 | «ធ្វើស្រែនឹងទឹក ធ្វើសឹកនឹងបាយ» | Thveu srae nœ̆ng tœ̆k, thveu sək nœ̆ng baay | “With water one grows rice; with rice one raises armies.” | Leverage base resources (cash‑flow) to scale bigger missions. |
| 10 | «ដំរីផុង ប្រយុងដើមឈើ» | Dam‑rei phong, prâyong daem‑chheu | “A sinking elephant drags the tree down with it.” | Beware entanglement with failing giants—they may pull you under. |
| 11 | «ផ្លូវវៀចកុំបោះបង់ ផ្លូវត្រង់កុំចោល» | Plov viech kom bâh‑bâng; plov trâng kom chaol | “Don’t discard the crooked path, don’t abandon the straight one.” | Strategic flexibility: keep orthodox and unorthodox options available. |
| 12 | «ទឹកសមុទ្រមិនបំពានទឹកទន្លេ» | Tœ̆k sa‑mot mĭn bâmpéan tœ̆k tôn‑lé | “Sea‑water never mingles with river‑water.” | Some things (values, data sets, organizational cultures) stay distinct—design interfaces, not forced mergers. |
How to practice them
- Pick one proverb each week and look for a real‑life situation—at work, in the gym, in the markets—where it applies.
- Say it out loud in Khmer (the rhythm helps memory), then summarize the heuristic in your own words.
- Journal the outcome: did following the proverb improve clarity, reduce friction, or create upside?
Collect them all and you’ll have a pocket‑sized Khmer “playbook” for adaptive, principled, first‑principles living—perfect for the entrepreneurial, heavy‑lifting, future‑focused life you’re forging. Keep crushing it!