121

Do not underestimate harm (damage, injury, hurt, detriment [pāpa]),

thinking, ‘It will not come back to me’;

Just as falling drops of water, fill up a bucket;

So too, the undiscerning one [1] is filled with evil, accumulating it little by little.

122

Do not underestimate good,

thinking, ‘It will not come to me’;

Just as falling drops of water, fill up a bucket;

So too, the wise one [2] is filled with good, accumulating it little by little.

[1] undiscerning one = lacking in discernment or good sense, child-like in understanding [bāla]

[2] wise one = stable, steady one [dhīra]

Related Teachings:

The four right efforts and the power of tiny improvements over a longer timeframe (AN 4.13) - Tiny improvements, when applied consistently, leads to meaningful and compounding growth.

On Wise Attention | A Trainee - First (ITI 16) - Wise attention or proper and careful attention is a quality of the mind that comes to growth and maturity as one continues learning, reflecting and applying the teachings in practice. It is one of the four factors that leads one to awakening to the truth of enlightenment, to stream-entry.

Causes for the arising and expansion of the five hindrances (AN 1.11 - 20) - The Buddha explains what causes the hindrances to arise and how to abandon them.