When I first started submitting my work professionally - and we're talking years and years ago - I had no patience for editorial response times. I hated waiting to hear back from people, hated waiting to see my work in print.

Meaning: Keeping a welcome rest or easier stage in mind can encourage continued work. The saying joins a hoped-for benefit with present effort, without requiring someone to work through exhaustion or postpone every need for recovery.

Meaning: Endurance has limits. A person may keep accepting burdens until the strain becomes more than they can carry, so willingness should not be mistaken for unlimited capacity.

Meaning: Wanting a benefit while refusing the effort it requires can leave the wish unfulfilled. Consider which inconveniences are genuinely necessary to obtain what you want.

Meaning: Small efforts repeated over time can produce a substantial change. The saying values steady persistence, while leaving room to check whether the effort is effective and whether the desired result is actually achievable.