Many drops make a shower.
Meaning: Small, repeated contributions accumulate into something substantial and significant.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Human Nature
- Faint praise is disparagement. — Subtle compliments delivered without genuine enthusiasm become insults through their very…
- Every man hath his faults. — Human imperfection is universal; judging others requires acknowledging your own flaws fir…
- A fool is fulsome. — Excessive praise reveals foolishness, as the wise speak measured words.
- Every man has his hobby-horse. — Everyone pursues their own passionate interests regardless of how peculiar others might f…
- Hot love is soon cold. — Passionate affection that ignites rapidly tends to fade equally fast, lacking enduring fo…
- Every man has his humour. — Individual differences in temperament and preference are natural; tolerating varied dispo…
From our tongue twisters
- Capra neagră sare piatra, piatra-i neagră, capra-i albă. — A rapid 'c/pr/n' alternation that gains speed — and the colour-swap at the end trips the…
- Μια πάπια μα ποια πάπια; μια πάπια με παπιά στα παγωμένα νερά. (Mia papia ma pia papia; mia papia me papia sta pagomena nera.) — A 'pa/pi/pag' drill — the near-identical syllables pile up while the image stays perfectl…
- Appilan pappilan apupapin papupata pankolla kiehuu ja kuohuu. — A relentless 'pap/pap/pu' bilabial drill stacked with Finnish double consonants.