ProverbWisdom
Russian origin
Russian originПод лежачий камень вода не течёт (Pod lezhachiy kamen' voda ne techyot)
Meaning: Nothing happens if you don't act.
Literally: Water doesn't flow under a lying stone
Example: “Никто не найдёт работу за тебя. Под лежачий камень вода не течёт.” — Nobody is going to find a job for you: God helps those who help themselves.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 4 more languages
English: A rolling stone gathers no moss
French: Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse (literally: 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)
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: Water flows round a moving stone but never under one that lies still.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
Keep exploring