proverb · Words worth keeping
A thousand dogs can’t catch up with a gazelle.
A thousand dogs can’t catch up with a gazelle.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A thousand dogs unable to catch a gazelle gives a single creature an advantage over a large number. The saying distinguishes quantity from what the pursuit requires.
What the words are saying
The numerical animal comparison is an exaggeration, not a verified behaviour or speed measurement. A useful interpretation can ask whether more participants solve a task’s actual difficulty. Numbers can matter, but an unsuitable approach may remain unsuitable when repeated.
Everyday example
A team examines the method behind a stalled task instead of only adding more people.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish relevant capability from headcount.
What it does not mean
No animal performance rule or universal superiority of a single participant is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 443; PDF page 43; collection label: Middle East
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Middle East