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Dripping water hollows out stone

Meaning: Persistent small efforts accomplish what force alone cannot.

Origin: Latin proverb (Gutta cavat lapidem) from Ovid's Epistulae ex Ponto (8 AD).

Translations

  • French: L'eau qui coule finit par creuser la pierre (literally: Flowing water eventually hollows out 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)

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