ProverbPerseverance
Dutch origin
Dutch originLangzaam aan, dan breekt de lijn niet
Meaning: Steady, careful progress avoids breaking things.
Literally: Take it slowly and the line won't break
Example: “Laat het gras rustig groeien. Langzaam aan, dan breekt de lijn niet.” — Let the grass grow at its own pace: slow and steady wins the race.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 4 more languages
English: Slow and steady wins the race
French: Qui va lentement va sûrement (literally: Who goes slowly goes surely)
Spanish: Lento pero seguro (literally: Slow but sure)
Japanese: 急がば回れ (Isogaba maware) (literally: If in a hurry, take a detour)
German: Eile mit Weile (literally: Hurry with leisure)
Italian: Chi va piano va sano e va lontano (literally: Who goes slowly goes safely and goes far)
Portuguese: Devagar se vai ao longe (literally: Slowly you go far)
Russian: Тише едешь — дальше будешь (Tishe edesh' — dal'she budesh') (literally: The slower you ride, the farther you get)
Turkish: Ağır git ki yol alasın (literally: Go slowly so you make headway)
Origin: Pull a line gently and it holds; jerk it and it snaps.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Liesje leerde Lotje lopen langs de lange Lindelaan. Eight consecutive l-words, with the vowel behind the l changing every time.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
- Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.
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