Q0151
“Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand li; without accumulating…” — Xunzi (Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning. Theme: action.
English
Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand li; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Xunzi
Xunzi (Xun Kuang, c. 310–c.
How to read this passage
Philosophy of action asks how intentions, reasons, habits, and consequences hang together. Ethical traditions often insist that knowing the good is incomplete without doing it. This passage enters that discussion through action.
Concepts in this quote
- Action
- Action concerns agency: what it is to do something intentionally, and how thought becomes practice.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Xunzi. (n.d.). Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand li; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0151
MLA: Xunzi. “Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0151.
Chicago: Xunzi. “Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0151.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a…”?
The passage is attributed to Xunzi, Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning. The archive attributes this English wording to Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Xunzi mean by action?
Philosophy of action asks how intentions, reasons, habits, and consequences hang together. Ethical traditions often insist that knowing the good is incomplete without doing it. This passage enters that discussion through action.