In Trinidad, Drop by Drop Does Full Bucket and One-one Does Full Basket; and, generally, One-one as a lead for the basic sense of this proverb seems to be the most prevalent in the Caribbean region. One-one Calabash Full Pail; One-one Cocoa Full Basket; One-one Coco Full Basket . . . . And if you didn't know, and want to know, coco in Jamaica is a type of yam; and cocoa in Grenada is the cocoa pod containing cocoa beans for use as cocoa is used.
I don't actually remember as a child which of our Caribbean proverbs resonated most with me, but I like to remember as an adult that it was One-one Dutty Buil(d) Dam, which is the way that I grew up with this proverb in Guyana. And speaking of children: If you have any, or just know any in the usual way of this, maybe this is a good one for you to remember with them . . . .
With this proverb, the results can come any time from the effort; and what numbers of dams could be built, and pails, calabashes and baskets filled over a lifetime whenever the start. One-one . . . motivates to action with a true promise of results. One-one . . . is good to remember when facing challenge. One-one . . . inspires.
Now, for most of you the meaning of any version of the proverb is clear enough: One-one makes more and more over time, and this leads to success at your endeavor . . . or any variant of this meaning that you like best. And for the Guyanese version, One-one Dutty Buil(d) Dam: dutty is mud, and mud can form a road, or be used to build a dam to protect from water and sea, especially important since Guyana is below sea level; and one bit of dutty at a time can build both a road, or a dam.
One-one makes more and more over time, and if you heed this advice success will come. One-one . . . motivates to action, and inspires.
One-one . . . is one of my favorite Caribbean proverbs. What about you? Do you have a favorite?
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