- English translation
Spin a hundred threads a day, and by year's end you will have two whole garments.
- Literal wording
Whoever spins a hundred threads each day will make, over the year, a za‘bout and a daffiyya.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb measures achievement by what repeated action can build, rather than by the apparent size of any one day’s output. Work that looks slight when viewed alone may yield an impressive total when it is faithfully continued.
Its image comes from spinning: a day’s threads may seem negligible, yet sustained work produces finished clothing over time. The garment names za‘bout and daffiyya are retained as transliterations because their precise types are not specified. Patience and regularity turn modest labor into something substantial.
- When it is used
Use it to encourage persistence when someone doubts the value of a small daily contribution. It fits work, practice, or other undertakings whose results emerge through regular accumulation, rather than immediate visible progress.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Spin a hundred threads a day, and by year's end you will have two whole garments.