미꾸라지 한 마리가 온 웅덩이 물을 흐린다.
“One loach can muddy an entire pond.”
A single bad actor can spoil the reputation or harmony of an entire group.
— Traditional Korean Wisdom (North Korea), North Korea
Source: Traditional North Korean proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from North Korea
Even monkeys fall from trees.
Even an expert or highly skilled person can sometimes make a mistake.
Traditional Korean Wisdom (North Korea)
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The frog in the well does not know the great sea.
A person with limited experience cannot grasp the scale of the wider world.
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A habit formed at three lasts until eighty.
Habits learned in early childhood are extremely difficult to change later in life.
Traditional Korean Wisdom (North Korea)
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Even a worm will wriggle when stepped on.
Even the most passive person will resist when pushed too far.
Traditional Korean Wisdom (North Korea)
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Does smoke rise from a chimney that was never lit?
Every rumor or visible effect has some underlying real cause.
Traditional Korean Wisdom (North Korea)
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Dripping eaves-water wears a hole in the stone.
Small, persistent effort eventually achieves great results.
Traditional Korean Wisdom (North Korea)
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