German:

„Ist der ruf erst mal ruiniert, lebt es sich ganz ungeniert“

My Translation:

„When reputation is ruined, it becomes uninhibited”

This proverb to my informant is meaningful in that it reflects the Swiss culture but mentality and attitude to life. My informant feels that the Swiss people are very relaxed, and comparing themselves to the Germans and the French (which is often done as Switzerland has French, German and Italian speaking regions), do not care about reputation, but rather to enjoy life. She also likes the humour in the proverb, as it encourages one not to follow moral boundaries. A non-literal translation would be that once you ruin your reputation, you can do whatever you want, seeing as you no longer have to work to up-keep it. I relate to this proverb also because although it promotes a laissez-faire attitude which is unlike the German, it encourages one to break away from social constraints. It also presents the idea that there is no point in trying to build up a reputation that has already been ruined, and also of course to focus on enjoying life rather than worrying about the opinions of other people.