Meaning
Small, persistent effort can overcome a great obstacle — a little axe, chopping away steadily, can bring down the biggest tree. A proverb of encouragement and quiet defiance: do not despair at the size of your problem or opponent, because steady blows will fell even the mightiest. Popularised worldwide by the reggae song 'Small Axe'.
Examples
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Nuh mind how big di problem — likkle axe cut down big tree.
Never mind how big the problem is — small steady effort overcomes it.
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Dem powerful, but likkle axe cut down big tree.
They're powerful, but persistent little blows can bring them down.
Origin
A traditional proverb; the small axe fells the big tree through persistence. Popularised by the Wailers' 'Small Axe'. See [[tallawah]].
How it’s used
Persistence overcomes size/power. See [[tallawah]], [[likkle-but-tallawah]].