Proverb from Colombia

Spanish

Cuando el río suena, piedras lleva.

“When the river makes noise, it is carrying stones.”

Meaning

Rumours usually have some truth behind them. It is the same idea as “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

Source

Rufino José Cuervo, Apuntaciones críticas sobre el lenguaje bogotano, 5th ed. (Paris: A. & R. Roger y F. Chernoviz, 1907), §191, p. 118, on archive.org

Cuervo calls it “el nuestro” (ours), the Colombian match for Spain’s “cuando la sartén chilla, algo hay en la villa.” The 1907 printing spells río without the accent.

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What is a proverb? A short, well-known, and memorable saying that expresses a common truth, practical experience, or piece of advice.

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