The ancient phrase, "A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step" has many paraphrases and dates back thousands of years, and takes on a special meaning in contemporary society.
The actual quote is attributed to Lao-tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher who wrote the Tao Te Ching, born 604 B.C. The literal translation form the Chinese is "A journey of a thousand leagues begins beneath one's feet." It's also been translated as, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".
The intent of the statement seems fairly clear. Simply stated, no matter how large the task, no matter how far, how big, how insurmountable something seems, it all starts with just one step. Or in other words, large tasks are achievable, as are small ones, by taking it from the beginning. If something seems impossible, try doing just a portion at a time. Eventually, you'll complete the task.
Lao Tzu may have been being literal. To walk a thousand miles, you would walk one step first. In contemporary times, we drive. Or fly. We have space ships! The crux of it is this: we don't achieve if we don't try. The Wright brothers had an interesting and huge task before them: how to make humans fly, up in the sky, with the birds. It probably seemed an intimidating task. But by breaking the dream in tiny goals, it wasn't so much about the dream. It was first about research. They poured themselves into this task. Then it was about coming up with a theory.
They devoted themselves to that. And five hundred small, but simple, tasks later; humans defy gravity. Not literally of course, physics still apply.The advice, taken from an ancient philosopher, holds true today. It may help one to reflect on, and always recall, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
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