કાપ્યા કાન ત્યારે આવી સાન.

kāpyā kāna tyārē āvī sāna.

Literally: Only when ears were cut did sense arrive.
What it means: Said of someone who learns a lesson or gains wisdom only after suffering severe punishment or loss.

ગુજરાતી કહેવતસંગ્રહ (Gujarati Kahevat Sangrah) (1921) · read from the scan by machine — the Gujarati itself is unchecked · English is machine-made and nobody has checked it yet

Heard it differently, or know we've got the sense wrong? Tell us — that is exactly the kind of correction this needs.