The journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.
Laozi Tao Te Ching, Chapter 64 (400 BCE) Translated by James Legge
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- From the Tao Te Ching, the classic of Taoism, traditionally attributed to Laozi.
- Why
- The chapter is about how great things grow from small beginnings.
What it means
This is the source of the familiar saying about a journey of a thousand miles. In context it sits beside a tree that grows from a sprout and a tower raised from a heap of earth.
The point is patience with small beginnings, not a slogan about ambition.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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Tao Te Ching, 400 BCE
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