proverb · Words worth keeping
journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying starts a thousand-mile journey with one step. It makes beginning a large task seem possible through a small initial action.
What the words are saying
The scale contrast encourages a start without promising completion. A useful application identifies a suitable first step and the support later stages may need. The source’s lower-case beginning is retained, and no historical origin or exact journey is inferred.
Everyday example
A learner chooses an initial task within reach and considers what continued study would require.
When to use it
Use it to discuss a manageable beginning without a completion guarantee.
What it does not mean
One step does not guarantee finishing or establish a historical journey or origin.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 589; PDF page 85
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.