Dripping water hollows out stone
Meaning: Persistent small efforts accomplish what force alone cannot.
Origin: The Roman poet Ovid wrote gutta cavat lapidem — the drop hollows the stone — and Lucretius used the same image. Water too soft to seem a threat wears through rock by persistence alone, and so does any steady effort.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- 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)
- German: Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein (literally: A constant drop hollows the stone)
More proverbs about Perseverance
- The ox is slow, but the earth is patient — Steady, unhurried work in harmony with natural rhythms eventually yields abundance.
- The cat that always cries catches no mice — Complaining and making noise accomplishes nothing; quiet, focused effort gets results.
- The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones — Great accomplishments are only possible through gradual, persistent small efforts.
- It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop — Progress at any pace is still progress; what matters is persisting, not speed.
- Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance — Long-term persistence is more powerful than raw ability or brute force.
- You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great — Greatness is not a prerequisite for beginning; beginning is the path to greatness.
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