Australian proverb

"You can't polish a turd"

Meaning : A turd is a shit for those of you who don't know. The
meaning is that you can't make something great from a shitty base product.

German Proverbs

Du bist was du isst

Translation : "You are what you eat"

Meaning : Your eating habits define who you are

Chinese Proverb

Chinese proverb

dui niu tan qin


Translation : playing the guitar/some stringed instrument to a cow

Meaning : a cow cannot understand/appreciate the music being played, or a person who is stubborn will not listen to reason

Serbian Proverb

Ne meshaj babe i zhabe!

brutally translated: Do not mix grandmothers and frogs!

Meaning : you should make difference between this and that.

this proverb became famous when a Serbian minister of Foreign Affairs used it once during some speech in the UN :)

Turkish proverb

Bana bir harf ögretenin 40 yil kölesi olurum

roughly translated : For 40 years I would be the slave of the person who teaches me one letter

Proverb attributed to Prophet Ali (not a prophet but one of descendents of muhammed), and emphasizes the importance of learning.