proverb · Words worth keeping
It is possible to move mountains by carrying small stones.
It is possible to move mountains by carrying small stones.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes moving mountains possible by carrying small stones. As an analogy, a large undertaking is broken into modest contributions.
What the words are saying
The contrast of mountain and stone makes gradual progress visible. A useful application can identify a feasible part of a complex task while recognising that planning and resources matter. The phrase does not establish that every enormous goal can be completed through tiny actions alone.
Everyday example
A group divides a substantial project into defined stages and begins the first manageable piece.
When to use it
Use it as an explicit analogy about incremental progress.
What it does not mean
Small actions need a suitable plan; no universal feasibility claim is verified.
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 proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 218; PDF page 35
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.