ProverbCommunicationItalian origin

Acqua cheta rompe i ponti

Meaning: Quiet people can be more dangerous or surprising than they look.

Literally: Still water breaks bridges

Example: “Sembrava così timida, e invece ha guidato la protesta: acqua cheta rompe i ponti.” — She seemed so shy, and yet she led the protest: still waters run deep.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 3 more languages

  • English: Still waters run deep
  • French: Il n'est pire eau que l'eau qui dort (literally: There is no worse water than sleeping water)
  • Spanish: Del agua mansa líbreme Dios (literally: God save me from still water)
  • Japanese: 能ある鷹は爪を隠す (Nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu) (literally: A talented hawk hides its talons)
  • German: Stille Wasser sind tief (literally: Still waters are deep)
  • Dutch: Stille waters hebben diepe gronden (literally: Still waters have deep bottoms)
  • Russian: В тихом омуте черти водятся (V tikhom omute cherti vodyatsya) (literally: Devils live in a still pool)
  • Polish: Cicha woda brzegi rwie (literally: Quiet water tears at its banks)

Origin: Calm water looks harmless but can undermine a bridge unnoticed. Cheta is an old form of quieta, quiet.

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