A rolling stone gathers no moss
Meaning: Those who keep moving avoid stagnation (or commitments).
Origin: Often credited to the Latin writer Publilius Syrus (1st century BC), though the usual Latin form, saxum volutum non obducitur musco, is not in the edited texts of his maxims. It is recorded in a Latin collection by Egbert of Liège around 1023, was spread by Erasmus, and appears in English in John Heywood's 1546 collection. Muddy Waters's song "Rollin' Stone" gave the Rolling Stones their name.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian
- French: Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
- Spanish: Piedra movediza no cría moho (literally: A moving stone doesn't grow moss)
- Japanese: 転石苔を生ぜず (Tenseki koke wo shōzezu) (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
- German: Wälzender Stein wird nicht moosig (literally: A rolling stone does not become mossy)
- Italian: Pietra mossa non fa muschio (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Don't burn your bridges — Don't destroy relationships you might need later.
- Pearls before swine — Giving something valuable to those who can't appreciate it.
- Hindsight is 20/20 — Past decisions are always clearer in retrospect.
- Let sleeping dogs lie — Don't stir up trouble that has settled down.
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away — Regular healthy habits prevent illness.
- There's method in the madness — Apparent chaos may have an underlying purpose.
From our compliments & insults
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules — You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.
- Tu as le vent en poupe — Everything is going your way — you're riding a wave of momentum and success.
- Tu es un as — You're brilliant at what you do — the very best.