A Journey of a Thousand Li

Where do you usually stumble: at the start, or just before the finish?

Original

其安易持，其未兆易謀。……為之於未有，治之於未亂。合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。為者敗之，執者失之。……民之從事，常於幾成而敗之。慎終如始，則無敗事。

In plain words

What is at rest is easy to hold; what has not yet shown itself is easy to plan for. … Deal with things before they exist; put them in order before trouble starts. A tree you can barely get your arms around grew from a tiny shoot. A tower nine storeys high rose from a basket of earth. A journey of a thousand li begins beneath your feet. Those who force things ruin them; those who clutch things lose them. … People at their work usually fail when they are almost done. Be as careful at the end as at the beginning, and nothing will fail.

Key words

毫末háo mòThe tip of a hair: the tiniest beginning.
幾成jī chéngWhen it is nearly done.
慎終如始shèn zhōng rú shǐBeing as careful at the end as at the start.

Reading it step by step

The last two pages said the sage acts but doesn't claim the credit. So how does he act? Today's chapter is very practical. It is about the rhythm of getting things done.

First: act while things are small. “What is at rest is easy to hold; what has not yet shown itself is easy to plan for.” Things are easiest to handle before they take shape. A great tree starts as a shoot, a tower as one basket of earth. That holds for bad things as much as good. A big fight usually begins with one sentence someone couldn't swallow. A serious illness often begins with a small habit ignored for years.

The trouble is that small things are the hardest to see. There's an old story from Don Quixote, which the philosopher David Hume borrowed to talk about taste: two brothers taste wine from a cask; one detects a hint of iron, the other a hint of leather, and everyone laughs at them. When the cask is drained, at the bottom lies an old iron key on a leather strap. The sage watches closely and tends to things while they're small, so there's no need for drastic measures later.

Second: “Those who force things ruin them; those who clutch things lose them.” This looks like it contradicts the first part. Didn't he just say to act early? The key is the heart behind the act. “Forcing” here means pushing things into a shape you've decided on in advance. “Clutching” means gripping the result and refusing to let go. Acting early on small things goes with the grain. Shoving and grabbing once things have grown large goes against it. Acting without contrivance means doing what needs doing early, without wrestling with the outcome.

Third: be as careful at the end as at the start. Laozi notices something very common. People seldom fail at the beginning. They fail when it's “almost done.” Why? At the start everyone is careful; with the finish in sight, we relax and get pleased with ourselves. There's an old saying: on a hundred-li road, ninety li is only halfway. The last ten are the real test. Think of a marathon: lead for the first ten kilometres with every camera on you, and it counts for nothing if you've vanished from the pack by the end.

start

act before it existssmall is easy to handle

middle

force it and ruin it; clutch it and lose itdon't shove, don't grip

end

careful at the end as at the startthe last ten li are the test

Think of what's on your plate: a report on its final chapter, an exercise habit you've kept for three months and are tempted to drop, a deal that's nearly closed. The most dangerous moment is usually the one when you think, “That's basically done.”

Today, take the step under your feet. And remember: the last step matters as much as the first.

One line to carry

The last step matters as much as the first.

Today's question

What are you “basically done” with? Write the last three steps it still needs, and take the first one today.

Quick check

According to Laozi, when do people usually fail?

Next pageBend and Be WholePage 19

III · The Sage Acts Without Contrivance — Non-action is not doing nothing; it is doing without forcing

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