Meanings
proverb
- A person who never settles in one place will never be successful.
- A person must keep active in order to avoid stagnating.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 滾石不生苔 /滚石不生苔
- 滾石不生苔 /滚石不生苔 (gǔn shí bù shēng tái)a person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Danish der gror ikke mos på rullesten
- der gror ikke mos på rullestena person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Dutch een rollende steen vergaart geen mos
- een rollende steen vergaart geen mosa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Finnish vierivä kivi ei sammaloidu
- vierivä kivi ei sammaloidua person who never settles in one place will never be successful
French pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse
- pierre qui roule n'amasse pas moussea person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Greek λίθος κυλινδόμενος το φυκος ου ποιεί
- λίθος κυλινδόμενος το φυκος ου ποιεί (líthos kylindómenos to fykos ou poieí)a person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Hungarian guruló kőre nem tapad moha
- guruló kőre nem tapad mohaa person must keep active in order to avoid stagnating
Japanese 転石苔むさず
- 転石苔むさず (tenseki koke musazu)a person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Korean 우물을 파도 한 우물을 파라, 구르는 돌은 이끼가 안 낀다
- 우물을 파도 한 우물을 파라 (umureul pado han umureul para)a person who never settles in one place will never be successful
- 구르는 돌은 이끼가 안 낀다 (guruneun doreun ikkiga an kkinda)a person must keep active in order to avoid stagnating
Latin saxum volutum non obducitur musco
- saxum volutum non obducitur muscoa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Polish toczący się kamień nie porasta mchem, toczący się kamień nie porasta mchem
- toczący się kamień nie porasta mchema person who never settles in one place will never be successful
- toczący się kamień nie porasta mchema person must keep active in order to avoid stagnating
Portuguese pedra que rola não cria limo
- pedra que rola não cria limoa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Russian под лежа́чий ка́мень вода́ не течёт
- под лежа́чий ка́мень вода́ не течёт (pod ležáčij kámenʹ vodá ne tečót)a person must keep active in order to avoid stagnating
Scottish Gaelic cha chinn còinneach air clach an udalain
- cha chinn còinneach air clach an udalaina person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Spanish piedra que rueda no prende musgo, piedra que rueda no cría moho
- piedra que rueda no prende musgoa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
- piedra que rueda no cría mohoa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
- piedra movediza nunca moho la cobijaa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
- hombre de muchos oficios pobre seguroa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
- el que viaja no produce pero sí gastaa person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Tamil ஒரு இடத்தில் இல்லாதவன் ஜெயிக்க மாட்டார்
- ஒரு இடத்தில் இல்லாதவன் ஜெயிக்க மாட்டார் (oru iṭattil illātavaṉ jeyikka māṭṭār)a person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Turkish yuvarlanan taş yosun tutmaz
- yuvarlanan taş yosun tutmaza person who never settles in one place will never be successful
Cite this entry
APA
a rolling stone gathers no moss. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20rolling%20stone%20gathers%20no%20moss
MLA
“a rolling stone gathers no moss.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20rolling%20stone%20gathers%20no%20moss. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a rolling stone gathers no moss,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20rolling%20stone%20gathers%20no%20moss.
Source: a rolling stone gathers no moss on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.