A blue silk ribbon winding across a sandy surface from a small red slipper.

Original artwork, not a still

Madame du Deffand

The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker places the difficulty of a journey in its beginning rather than its length. One reading extends that contrast to undertaking a task: getting started may feel harder than contemplating the distance ahead. The wording gives the first move special importance.

Context reviewed

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