"take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves" meaning in All languages combined

See take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves on Wiktionary

Proverb [English]

Audio: En-us-take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.oga
Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves}} take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves
  1. If one takes care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things. Synonyms: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, many a mickle makes a muckle, every little helps, take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves Translations (if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things): 積少成多 /积少成多 (jīshǎochéngduō) (Chinese Mandarin), 聚沙成塔 (jùshāchéngtǎ) (Chinese Mandarin), 集腋成裘 (jíyèchéngqiú) (Chinese Mandarin), senteissä tuhannen alku (Finnish), pennissä satain alku, markassa tuhanten (Finnish), les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières (French), wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert (German), sok kicsi sokra megy (Hungarian), is é cosaint na pingine a chruachas na puint (Irish), 一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く (issen o warau mono wa issen ni naku) (Japanese), 푼돈을 아끼면 큰돈은 저절로 모인다 (pundoneul akkimyeon keundoneun jeojeollo moinda) (Korean), sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit (Malay), grosz do grosza, a będzie kokosza (Polish), копе́йка рубль бережёт, а рубль го́лову стережёт (kopéjka rublʹ berežót, a rublʹ gólovu sterežót) (Russian), zrno na zrno pogača, kámen na kámen palača (Slovene), un grano no hace granero, pero ayuda al compañero (Spanish)

Alternative forms

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves"
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      "expansion": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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        {
          "kind": "other",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500",
          "text": "Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ‥used to say‥Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 132:",
          "text": "It is these little things that matter, Pickering. Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii:",
          "text": "Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, ‘H. Crane’, Miss Seeton's Finest Hour, xi. 92",
          "text": "‘Yes, it sounds on the melodramatic side,’ he said cheerfully, ‘but in wartime you can't be too careful about the smallest detail. Think of it as along the lines of taking care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.’"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If one takes care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things."
      ],
      "id": "en-take_care_of_the_pennies_and_the_pounds_will_take_care_of_themselves-en-proverb-KXPplvS-",
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
        },
        {
          "word": "many a mickle makes a muckle"
        },
        {
          "word": "every little helps"
        },
        {
          "word": "take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jīshǎochéngduō",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "積少成多 /积少成多"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jùshāchéngtǎ",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "聚沙成塔"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jíyèchéngqiú",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "集腋成裘"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "senteissä tuhannen alku"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "pennissä satain alku, markassa tuhanten"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "sok kicsi sokra megy"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "is é cosaint na pingine a chruachas na puint"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "issen o warau mono wa issen ni naku",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "pundoneul akkimyeon keundoneun jeojeollo moinda",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "푼돈을 아끼면 큰돈은 저절로 모인다"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "grosz do grosza, a będzie kokosza"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "kopéjka rublʹ berežót, a rublʹ gólovu sterežót",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "копе́йка рубль бережёт, а рубль го́лову стережёт"
        },
        {
          "code": "sl",
          "lang": "Slovene",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "zrno na zrno pogača, kámen na kámen palača"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
          "word": "un grano no hace granero, pero ayuda al compañero"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
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  "word": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves"
      },
      "expansion": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves",
      "name": "head"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Irish translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Korean translations",
        "Terms with Malay translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Slovene translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1750, Chesterfield, letter 5 Feb. (1932) IV. 1500",
          "text": "Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury, ‥used to say‥Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 132:",
          "text": "It is these little things that matter, Pickering. Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true of personal habits as of money.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1979, R. Cassilis, Arrow of God, iv. xvii:",
          "text": "Little things, Master Mally. Look after the pennies, Master Mally, and the pounds will look after themselves.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, ‘H. Crane’, Miss Seeton's Finest Hour, xi. 92",
          "text": "‘Yes, it sounds on the melodramatic side,’ he said cheerfully, ‘but in wartime you can't be too careful about the smallest detail. Think of it as along the lines of taking care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.’"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If one takes care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
    },
    {
      "word": "many a mickle makes a muckle"
    },
    {
      "word": "every little helps"
    },
    {
      "word": "take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jīshǎochéngduō",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "積少成多 /积少成多"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jùshāchéngtǎ",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "聚沙成塔"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jíyèchéngqiú",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "集腋成裘"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "senteissä tuhannen alku"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "pennissä satain alku, markassa tuhanten"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "les petits ruisseaux font les grandes rivières"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "sok kicsi sokra megy"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "is é cosaint na pingine a chruachas na puint"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "issen o warau mono wa issen ni naku",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "pundoneul akkimyeon keundoneun jeojeollo moinda",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "푼돈을 아끼면 큰돈은 저절로 모인다"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "grosz do grosza, a będzie kokosza"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "kopéjka rublʹ berežót, a rublʹ gólovu sterežót",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "копе́йка рубль бережёт, а рубль го́лову стережёт"
    },
    {
      "code": "sl",
      "lang": "Slovene",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "zrno na zrno pogača, kámen na kámen palača"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "if you take care of little things one at a time, they can add up to big things",
      "word": "un grano no hace granero, pero ayuda al compañero"
    }
  ],
  "word": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves"
}

Download raw JSONL data for take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves meaning in All languages combined (6.2kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/2013",
  "msg": "more than one value in \"roman\": lit: a kopeck saves a rouble and rouble guards the head vs. kopéjka rublʹ berežót, a rublʹ gólovu sterežót",
  "path": [
    "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "proverb",
  "title": "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.