ProverbCommunication
Latin origin
Latin originStill waters run deep
Meaning: Quiet people often have great depth of character.
Example: “She hardly speaks in class, but still waters run deep.”
Origin: The Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus observed that the deepest rivers flow with the least sound. English has the idea from the Middle Ages, and Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2 has "Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep." A quiet person may hide strong feelings or great knowledge.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 3 more languages
French: Il n'est pire eau que l'eau qui dort (literally: There is no worse water than sleeping water)
Spanish: Del agua mansa líbreme Dios (literally: God save me from still water)
Japanese: 能ある鷹は爪を隠す (Nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu) (literally: A talented hawk hides its talons)
German: Stille Wasser sind tief (literally: Still waters are deep)
Italian: Acqua cheta rompe i ponti (literally: Still water breaks bridges)
Dutch: Stille waters hebben diepe gronden (literally: Still waters have deep bottoms)
Russian: В тихом омуте черти водятся (V tikhom omute cherti vodyatsya) (literally: Devils live in a still pool)
Polish: Cicha woda brzegi rwie (literally: Quiet water tears at its banks)
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