Between saying and doing there's a long road.
Between saying and doing there's a long road.
Meaning in plain English
A promise and its fulfilment are separated by the work needed to carry it out. Good intentions matter, but a confident statement is not yet evidence of a completed result.
Example
After promising to restore a garden, a group agrees who will obtain tools, clear the site and maintain it afterward.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The long road turns the distance between words and action into a journey. A person may sincerely describe what they plan to do while underestimating the steps that follow. The proverb encourages attention to those steps, including the time, effort and resources needed to reach the promised outcome. It need not make every promise suspicious or dismiss planning as useless. Clear commitments can guide work when they are accompanied by realistic arrangements. The useful question is what will happen next and how progress can be recognised, rather than how impressive the original declaration sounds.
When to use it
Use it to turn a promise into practical steps and follow-through.
Keep in mind
A delay does not necessarily prove dishonesty; examine the circumstances.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-04. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Dictionary of Quotations (1893)
Printed citation: Pr. · page_029
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗