Yathā naro āpagamotaritvā,
mahodakaṃ salilaṃ sīghasotaṃ,
so vuyhamāno anusotagāmī —
kiṃ so pare sakkhati tārayetuṃ?

If one going down into a river,
swollen and swiftly flowing,
is carried away by the current —
how can one help others across?

Sutta Nipāta 2.321
The Discourse Collection: Selected Texts from the Sutta Nipāta, translated by John D. Ireland