Damlaya damlaya göl olur

Meaning: Small amounts add up to something big over time.

Literally: Drop by drop, a lake forms

Example: “Her gün biraz para biriktir; damlaya damlaya göl olur.” — Save a little money every day: every little bit helps.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 6 more languages

English: Dripping water hollows out stone
French: Goutte à goutte, l'eau creuse la pierre (literally: Drop by drop, water hollows the stone)
Spanish: La gota de agua horada la piedra (literally: The drop of water bores through stone)
Japanese: 点滴石をも穿つ (Tenteki ishi wo mo ugatsu) (literally: Dripping water pierces even stone)
German: Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein (literally: A constant drop hollows the stone)
Italian: La goccia scava la pietra (literally: The drop hollows the stone)
Portuguese: Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura (literally: Soft water on hard stone keeps hitting until it bores through)
Russian: Капля камень точит (Kaplya kamen' tochit) (literally: A drop wears away stone)
Polish: Kropla drąży skałę (literally: A drop bores through rock)
Chinese: 水滴石穿 (Shuǐ dī shí chuān) (literally: Dripping water pierces stone)
Korean: 낙숫물이 댓돌을 뚫는다 (Naksunmuri daetdoreul ttulleunda) (literally: Eaves-water bores through the stone step)

Origin: Where Latin and German have the drop hollowing the stone, Turkish lets the drops fill a lake.

Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.

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.
Tu as de la répartie You're brilliantly quick-witted — always ready with the perfect comeback.

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