Rotating garden sprinklers work by the same principle. In a similar way, the forward motion of a rocket comes from the reaction of the fast jet of hot gas shooting out from its rear. Those familiar with small boats know that before jumping from a boat to the dock, it is wise to tie the boat to the dock first, and to grab a handhold on the dock before jumping. A more subtle example is afforded by the bicycle . It is well known that balancing a bicycle standing still is almost impossible, while on a rolling bike it is quite easy.
Different principles are at work in each case.
Suppose you sit on a bike that stands still, and find it is leaning to the left. The natural tendency is to lean to the right , to counterbalance the lean with your weight. But in moving the top of your body to the right, by Newton's 3rd law you are actually pushing the bike to lean more to the left. It might work for a fraction of a second, but now you are really out of balance. On a rolling bike, balance is kept by a completely different mechanism.