ProverbWisdom
French origin
French originPierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse
Meaning: Constant movement prevents anything from accumulating.
Literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss
Example: “Il change de ville tous les ans et n'a jamais un sou : pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse.” — He moves to a new city every year and never has a penny: a rolling stone gathers no moss.
Equivalents in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages
English: A rolling stone gathers no moss
Spanish: Piedra movediza no cría moho (literally: A moving stone doesn't grow moss)
Japanese: 転石苔を生ぜず (Tenseki koke wo shōzezu) (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
German: Ein rollender Stein setzt kein Moos an (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
Italian: Pietra mossa non fa muschio (literally: A moved stone grows no moss)
Dutch: Een rollende steen vergaart geen mos (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
Russian: Под лежачий камень вода не течёт (Pod lezhachiy kamen' voda ne techyot) (literally: Water doesn't flow under a lying stone)
Korean: 구르는 돌은 이끼가 안 낀다 (Gureuneun doreun ikkiga an kkinda) (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
Turkish: Yuvarlanan taş yosun tutmaz (literally: A rolling stone gathers no moss)
Origin: Whether this is a warning or a recommendation has never been settled, and French and English disagree about it in the same way. The stone is either failing to build a life or admirably refusing to stagnate.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. An 's' / 'si' minefield.
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