---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: \"Gutta cavat lapidem.\" (Dripping water…"
description: "\"\"Gutta cavat lapidem.\" (Dripping water carves a stone.)\" — Ovid"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/ovid-276_dripping_gutta-cavat-lapidem-dripping-water-carve_1886714.png"
---

#  "Gutta cavat lapidem." (Dripping water carves a stone.)

![“"Gutta cavat lapidem." (Dripping water carves a stone.)” quote by Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/ovid-276_dripping_gutta-cavat-lapidem-dripping-water-carve_1886714.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/ovid-276_dripping_gutta-cavat-lapidem-dripping-water-carve_1886714.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/ovid-276_dripping_gutta-cavat-lapidem-dripping-water-carve_1886714.png)

> “"Gutta cavat lapidem." (Dripping water carves a stone.)”

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Persistent effort gradually overcomes even the hardest obstacles.

**In simple terms:** Steady work wears down stone.

Key Takeaway

Keep working patiently.

Themes

perseverance patience overcoming obstacles

Mood

determined reflective

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- building a habit
- learning a skill
- long‑term projects
- personal growth

Key Concepts

Stoicism erosion time

Questions to Reflect On

- What small daily actions can you sustain?
- How does patience change your view of difficulty?

A Different Perspective

Only works when effort is consistent and time is allowed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [Dripping water hollows out a stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/dripping-water-hollows-out-a-stone/)

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> [By constant dripping, water hollows stone, A signet-ring from use alone grows thin, And the curved plowshare by soft earth is worn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/by-constant-dripping-water-hollows-stone-a-signet-ring-from-use-alone/)

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> [Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/dripping-water-hollows-out-stone-not-through-force-but-through/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [“Dripping water wears the stone which could not be hammered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/dripping-water-wears-the-stone-which-could-not-be-hammered/)

[A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/)

> [The anger came creeping back like the leak from a dripping water tank, the fall of each individual drop passing almost unnoticed until I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-loyd/the-anger-came-creeping-back-like-the-leak-from-a-dripping-water-tank/)

Anthony Loyd

> [Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/water-does-not-resist-water-flows-when-you-plunge-your-hand-into-it-2/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/remember-that-my-child-remember-you-are-half-water-if-you-can-t-go/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/water-does-not-resist-water-flows-when-you-plunge-your-hand-into-it/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Al's red eyes slid past me to Pierce. "Play?" he said, his voice dripping with interest. "Gordian Nathaniel Pierce's quirks are legendary. Why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/al-s-red-eyes-slid-past-me-to-pierce-play-he-said-his-voice-dripping/)

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> [Through the dripping weeks that follow One another slow, and soak Summer's extinguished fire and autumn's drifting smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-austin/through-the-dripping-weeks-that-follow-one-another-slow-and-soak/)

[Alfred Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-austin/)

> [“Dripping wet in a secret passage. It was pretty damn hot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morgan/dripping-wet-in-a-secret-passage-it-was-pretty-damn-hot/)

[Rachel Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morgan/)

> [I have my great grandmother's recipe for black beans, all the way from Cuba, and I know how to make those. I'm actually pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-pino/i-have-my-great-grandmother-s-recipe-for-black-beans-all-the-way-from/)

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> [If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-the-truth-be-told-we-are-a-society-that-is-dripping-in-racism-this/)

[Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/)

> [I remember going onstage on Broadway in this Leigh Bowery thing for a track like "Ich Bin Kunst." I've got breasts, this latex dripping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-remember-going-onstage-on-broadway-in-this-leigh-bowery-thing-for-a/)

[Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/)

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## More by Ovid

> [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

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[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

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[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [It is some alleviation to ills we cannot cure to speak of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-some-alleviation-to-ills-we-cannot-cure-to-speak-of-them/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [Time is generally the best doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/time-is-generally-the-best-doctor/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [It is convenient that there be gods, and, as it is convenient, let us believe there are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-convenient-that-there-be-gods-and-as-it-is-convenient-let-us/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [I hate a woman who offers herself because she ought to do so, and cold and dry thinks of her sewing when making love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/i-hate-a-woman-who-offers-herself-because-she-ought-to-do-so-and-cold/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

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[Explore all 771 Ovid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

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[Victoria Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-wood/)

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Browse all 153 Dripping quotes

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