“There is no eel so small but it hopes to become a whale.” — German Proverb
(My people! Well, at least half. I’m English and Dutch on my Mom’s side. Even so . . . I don’t get it. With the negative and the “but”. Are they saying an eel longs to be a whale, meaning bigger, badder, and – supposedly – better? Top of the food chain kinda thing? Most people want to be richer and more respected, I guess, but not all. “Be just what you is, not what you is not. Folks what do this has the happiest lot.” Can anyone dig back for that one? It’s from my childhood, the early ’60s! Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Image courtesy of Google
Unclerave's Wordy Weblog 
I think it’s an archaic usage of “but,” UR. It means something like “who * * * not” or “that * * * not.” Dictionary.com gives the example, “No leaders worthy of the name ever existed but they were optimists” = “No leaders worthy of the name ever existed who were not optimists.” Our German proverb would be as you surmised: “There is no eel so small that it did not hope to become a whale.”
I did a Google search and found a site that gives the original German as, “Es ist kein Aal so klein, er hofft ein Walfisch zu werden.” My knowledge of German is pretty sketchy, but I would translate that as, “There is no eel so small that it hopes to become a whale.”
Thanks, Roy! I guess I should trust my instincts! — YUR 🙂
Thanks, Dave! Nice research, and great translation! — YUR
Could you be referring to Tooter Turtle: “Be just what you is, not what you is not”.
http://www.llewellyn.com/blog/2013/09/be-just-what-you-is/
Congrats, lwc! It was one of my favorite cartoons! LOL! — YUR