Related
- Quote of the day by Avengers actress Scarlett Johansson: ‘I want to work on things that are hard, I want to hang out with people I like to be with…’
Momentum matters more than speed. In a world obsessed with instant wins and overnight success, an old Chinese proverb quietly cuts through the noise: progress, even when slow, is still progress. What truly harms growth is not moving forward at all. The idea feels especially relevant today, when patience is shrinking and expectations are sky-high.
The proverb warns against fearing slow movement and instead urges people to fear stagnation. A similar idea is often attributed to Confucius, where perseverance and continuity are valued over quick outcomes. The message is simple but uncomfortable: steady effort matters more than immediate success. Progress does not need to be dramatic to be meaningful. It just needs to continue.
In modern life, many people equate effort with fast results. When outcomes don’t appear quickly, doubt creeps in. People start questioning their abilities, their choices, and the process itself. This impatience often leads to abandoning one attempt for another, jumping between goals, habits, or careers without giving any of them enough time to show real impact. The problem isn’t failure. It’s an inconsistency.
Over time, these repeated restarts create the illusion that nothing works. When nothing seems to move the needle, people stop trying altogether. That moment of quitting is what the proverb cautions against. Standing still, giving up on effort, and choosing inaction guarantees no change at all.
In today’s fast-paced, comparison-driven world, the relevance of this proverb is sharper than ever. Growth, whether personal, professional, or emotional, rarely follows a straight or speedy line. Slow progress still builds skills, resilience, and clarity. Standing still builds nothing.
The proverb warns against fearing slow movement and instead urges people to fear stagnation. A similar idea is often attributed to Confucius, where perseverance and continuity are valued over quick outcomes. The message is simple but uncomfortable: steady effort matters more than immediate success. Progress does not need to be dramatic to be meaningful. It just needs to continue.
In modern life, many people equate effort with fast results. When outcomes don’t appear quickly, doubt creeps in. People start questioning their abilities, their choices, and the process itself. This impatience often leads to abandoning one attempt for another, jumping between goals, habits, or careers without giving any of them enough time to show real impact. The problem isn’t failure. It’s an inconsistency.
Over time, these repeated restarts create the illusion that nothing works. When nothing seems to move the needle, people stop trying altogether. That moment of quitting is what the proverb cautions against. Standing still, giving up on effort, and choosing inaction guarantees no change at all.
In today’s fast-paced, comparison-driven world, the relevance of this proverb is sharper than ever. Growth, whether personal, professional, or emotional, rarely follows a straight or speedy line. Slow progress still builds skills, resilience, and clarity. Standing still builds nothing.
