Say little and do much/deeds, not words

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Say little and do much/deeds, not words

Say little and do much/deeds, not words

Speak little and do much. A proverb advising a person to focus on practical action rather than words and declarations of plans.

("Shammai says: Make your Torah study a fixed practice; say little and do much; and receive every person with a pleasant countenance" - Ethics of the Fathers 1:15. Also: "And Abraham ran to the cattle (Genesis 18) - Rabbi Elazar said: from here we learn that the righteous say little and do much, but the wicked say much and do not even do a little" - Bava Metzia 87a. Also: "Happy is the nation that says little and does much, and all their deeds are with wisdom and order" - Ahad Ha'am / Truth from the Land of Israel)

Translation

Expression (Hebrew)

אֱמֹר מְעַט וְעָשָׂה הַרְבֵּה

Definition (Hebrew)

הַמְּעַט בְּדִבּוּרִים וְהַרְבֵּה לַעֲשׂוֹת. פִּתְגָּם הַמְּיַעֵץ לְאָדָם לְהַרְבּוֹת בַּעֲשִׂיָּה בְּפֹעַל וּלְהַמְעִיט בְּדִבּוּרִים וְהַכְרָזוֹת עַל תָּכְנִיּוֹת.

("שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר עָשָׂה תּוֹרָתְךָ קֶבַע אֱמֹר מְעַט וַעֲשֵׂה הַרְבֵּה וֶהֱוֵי מְקַבֵּל אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת"-אָבוֹת פֶּרֶק א יָד, וְכֵן:"וְאַל הַבָּקָר רָץ אַבְרָהָם(בְרֵאשִׁית יח)- אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: מִכָּאן שֶׁצַּדִּיקִים אוֹמְרִים מְעַט וְעוֹשִׂים הַרְבֵּה, רְשָׁעִים אוֹמְרִים הַרְבֵּה וַאֲפִלּוּ מְעַט אֵינָם עוֹשִׂים"- בָּבָא מְצִיעָא פָּז ע"א, וְכֵן:"אַשְׁרֵי הַגּוֹי שֶׁאוֹמֵר מְעַט וְעוֹשֶׂה הַרְבֵּה,וְכָל מַעֲשָׂיו בְּדַעַת וּסְדָרִים"- אֶחָד הָעָם/ אֱמֶת מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל)

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