Constant dropping wears the stone.
Constant dropping wears the stone.
Meaning in plain English
Small efforts repeated over time can produce a substantial change. The saying values steady persistence, while leaving room to check whether the effort is effective and whether the desired result is actually achievable.
Example
A learner practises a short passage each evening and records it weekly to hear which transitions are improving and which need a different exercise.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying pictures repeated drops gradually wearing a hard surface that one drop could not noticeably alter. Its emphasis falls on continuity rather than a single dramatic exertion. Applied to a task, it encourages someone to consider what modest action can be repeated reliably and how progress will be recognised. It does not promise that every obstacle will yield to repetition, or that an ineffective method becomes useful merely because it is continued. Feedback matters alongside perseverance. If nothing is changing, adjusting the method or the goal can be more sensible than simply demanding greater endurance.
When to use it
Use it to encourage manageable, sustained effort towards a task with observable progress.
Keep in mind
Persistence needs feedback; repeating an ineffective or harmful action is not a virtue.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 308 · Constant dropping
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗