Everyone pulls water to their own mill — self-interest drives human behaviour. Each person interprets events, arguments, and opportunities in the way most advantageous to themselves.
The mill and its water channel were the central economic machinery of the Lombard agricultural economy: whoever controlled the water flow controlled the production of flour, which was the foundation of food supply. The farmer or miller who diverted the water channel to his own mill at the expense of neighbours was acting exactly as this proverb describes. The saying captures a Lombard realism about human motivation: people are not primarily altruistic, and pretending otherwise leads to naive mistakes. In the commercial culture of Milan, understanding that every party in a negotiation is pulling water to their own mill — that every proposal is self-interested — was the foundation of clear dealing. The proverb is not cynical but realistic: it names the mechanism and allows you to account for it.
Lombard mill-culture proverb. The water mill was the central economic machinery of medieval and early modern Lombard agriculture, making water rights intensely contested.
A Milanese negotiator sizing up the other party
Ascolta la loro proposta ma sappi che ognün el tir l'acqua al so mulin. Cerca cosa ci guadagnano veramente.
Escucha su propuesta pero sabe que cada uno lleva el agua a su molino. Descubre qué ganan ellos realmente.
A Lombard politician commenting on coalition politics
Ogni partito nella coalizione ha i suoi interessi. Ognün el tir l'acqua al so mulin — il programma comune è il compromesso tra tutti i mulini.
Cada partido de la coalición tiene sus intereses. Cada uno lleva el agua a su molino — el programa común es el compromiso entre todos los molinos.
A Milanese journalist analysing corporate lobbying
Le aziende farmaceutiche sostengono la ricerca che produce farmaci brevettabili. Ognün el tir l'acqua al so mulin — non è illecito, ma va capito.
Las empresas farmacéuticas apoyan la investigación que produce fármacos patentables. Cada uno lleva el agua a su molino — no es ilegal, pero hay que entenderlo.
A Lombard grandmother explaining a family dispute
Ogni figlio vuole la sua fetta dell'eredità. Ognün el tir l'acqua al so mulin — è normale, ma bisogna trovare un accordo.
Cada hijo quiere su parte de la herencia. Cada uno lleva el agua a su molino — es normal, pero hay que llegar a un acuerdo.