લીલા ઘડા ટપલા ખમે, પાકા ન ખમે.

līlā ghaḍā ṭapalā khamē, pākā na khamē.

Literally: Wet clay pots can bear being patted, but baked ones cannot.
What it means: Children can be disciplined and molded, but adults are set in their ways and will break if pressured.

ગુજરાતી કહેવતસંગ્રહ (Gujarati Kahevat Sangrah) (1923) · 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.