Shunryu Suzuki Quotes

We're going to start with small, easy things; then, little by little we shall try our hand at the big things. And after that, after we finish the big things, we shall undertake the impossible.

All good work is done the way ants do things: Little by little.

At no time am I a quick thinker or writer: whatever I have done in science has solely been by long pondering, patience and industry.

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.

I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.

Artists know that diligence counts as much, if not more, as inspiration; in art, as in politics, patience counts as much as revolution.

There are a lot of people who dream of overnight success, of being Brad Pitt getting discovered for 'Thelma and Louise,' but that doesn't always happen. I represent that stick-to-it-ness that it takes to build a career over time, guest spot by guest spot. Looking back from here, I wouldn't have wanted the journey to go any other way.

I think with my journey so far, it never felt like an overwhelming, overnight success story. I think that's good for me because I really got to take my time.

Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded.

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

Younger kids should realize that if dancing is what you wanna do, it's not always gonna be the easiest thing; you're not always going to end up dancing for Justin Timberlake right out the gate.

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.

Nothing can be done except little by little.

I like to do things that you need to chip away at.

Progress however, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step.

It's a very slow process - two steps forward, one step back - but I'm inching in the right direction.

Sometimes making progress a step at a time is better than no progress at all.

Overnight successes are generally years in the making. And most progress is made in isolation, far from the public eye.

I'm gonna have some nights when it's not gonna come. But if you keep playing natural, it's just gonna come. I'm gonna keep getting better, keep getting better, and one day, everything's gonna pay off.

I'm tired of hearing all this talk from people who don't understand the process of hard work-like little kids in the back seat asking 'Are we there yet?' Get where you're going 1 mile-marker at a time.

Success is a fruit of slow growth.

Ultimately, every great endeavor consists of many little steps.

There is no such thing as a quantum leap. There is only dogged persistence - and in the end you make it look like a quantum leap.

In life, worthwhile accomplishments and acquisitions take time. Usually the better the reward, the more time it takes to acquire it.

One of the lessons I learned in all those years practicing karate is that progress only comes in small incremental portions.