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proVERBS

4 Dutch / English

Alle wegen leiden naar Rome

Translation:
All roads lead to Rome

Equivalent:
All roads lead to Rome

notes:
In proverbs from Muslim countries, Mecca is the city to which all roads lead

Meaning:
This suggests that it is possible to achieve the same goal by different paths

Equivalents in other languages

Een rollende steen vergaart geen mos

Translation:
A rolling stone gathers no moss

Equivalent:
A rolling stone gathers no moss

Meaning:
Always moving from place to place or job to job stops a person from accumulating much
(A proverb that is of little relevance, in these days of job insecurity and short-term work contracts)

Equivalents in other languages

Romance language family

[FRE]Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse
A stone that rolls amasses no moss

[ITA]Pietra mossa non fa muschio
A stone that is moved does not make moss

[SPA]Piedra movediza, nunca el moho la cobija
Moss never shelters a moving stone

[Rom]Peretii au urechi si strazile ochi
Stone which rolls from place to place does not pick up moss

[Cat]Pedra movedissa no cria molsa
Stone moss jiggly no breeding

[PRO]Car qui sovent sa rauba trossa, jamai non culhirà mossa
Because the stone rolls often it will never cultivate moss

[POR]Pedra que muito rola, não cria musgo
Moss doesn't grow on a rolling stone

Germanic language family

[Fri]?
Help!

[DAN]Rullende sten samler ingen mos
Rolling stone gathers no moss (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[Nor]Der gror ikke muse på rullande stein
There does not grow mouse on a roll suitable stone (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[Swe]Den sten som öfta vändes blir icke mossbelupen
The stone which was used often becomes non mossy (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[DUT]We hebben hulp nodig bij het vertalen van dit spreekwoord
A rolling stone gathers no moss

[GER]Am rollenden Stein wächst kein Moos
A rolling stone grows no moss

Slavic language family

[CRO]Koji se kamen mnogo premeće, neće mahovinom obrasti
Which is a lot of turning over stones, will be overgrown with moss (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[Slk]Kameň čo sa moc obracia machom neobrastie
Stone as much moss turning neobrastie (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[CES]Kámen často hýbaný neobroste mechem
Stone often Jarring neobroste moss (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[POL]Kamień często poruszany, mchem nie obrośnie
No moss matures on a stone often moved

Finno-Ugric language family

[EST]Veereval kivil ei ole sammalt
A rolling stone does not have moss (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[HUN]Nem mohosodik az a kő meg, melyet gyakran mozgatnak
The stone that is often moved does not become moss-covered

[FIN]Vierivä kivi ei sammaloidu
A rolling stone does not gather moss

Baltic language family

[Ltv]Akmens, ko vienmēr valsta, nekad neapsūno
The stone which always Sates neapsūno (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

[Lit]Ir akmou, vietoj gulėdamas, apželia
And akmou, instead of lying, overgrown (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

Celtic language family

[Wel]Carreg a dreigla, ni fwsoga
A rolling stone gathers no moss

[Iri]Ní chruinnigheann cloch reatha caonach, ach cruinnigheann meach siubhail míl
A running stone does not gather moss, but a travelling bee gathers honey

[Gae]Cha chinn cóinneach air clach an udalain
Moss does not grow on a much turned stone

[Bre]We need help in translating these proverbs
A stone rolling or driven by a dog will never gather moss

Maltese (an Arabic language)

[Mal]Ġebla titgerbeb ma trabbix ħażiż
A rolling stone gathers no moss

Language isolates

[Bas]Harri erabiliak ez du goroldiorik izaten
The moss stone is used (by Google Translate: to be improved shortly)

Een zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer

Translation:
One swallow does not make a summer

Equivalent:
One swallow does not make a summer

notes:
In the languages of southern Europe, the equivalent proverb usually has 'spring' rather than 'summer', because migrating swallows arrive earlier there than they do in northern Europe

Meaning:
You cannot infer a general rule or norm from just a single case