The cow knows not What her tail is worth till she hath lost it. 
Proverbs on a similar topic
- Easy come, easy go.
- As you make your bed, so you must lie on it.
- The labourer is worthy of his hire.
- As you bake so shall you eat.
- He who greases his wheels helps his oxen.
- As you sow you shall mow.
- Come with the Wind, go with the water.
- Mills will not grind if you give them not water.
- A toiling dog comes halting home.
- Sow thin and mow thin.
Related proverbs
Similar proverbs in another language
Latin
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Est quidem haec natura mortalium, ut nihil magis placeat, quam quod amissum est.
This is indeed the nature of mortals, that nothing pleases them more than what is lost.
-
Res, quae perduntur, centena valere feruntur.
The things that are lost are said to be worth hundreds.
German
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Wenn die Kuh den Schwanz verloren hat, merkt sie erst, wozu er gut war.
When the cow has lost its tail, it only realizes what it was good for.
Czech
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Co máme, nevíme, až když to ztratíme.
We don't know what we have until we lose it.