--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He and Marten may be needles in a…" description: "\"“He and Marten may be needles in a haystack, but straw by straw the hay is being taken away. It's only a matter of time, hours at most, before the floo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/allan-folsom-58786_matter-of-time_he-and-marten-may-be-needles-in-a-haysta_1411309.jpg" --- # He and Marten may be needles in a haystack, but straw by… ![“He and Marten may be needles in a haystack, but straw by straw the hay is being taken away. It's only a matter of time, hours at most, before the floor is bare and the needles and right there in front of us.” quote by Allan Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/allan-folsom-58786_matter-of-time_he-and-marten-may-be-needles-in-a-haysta_1411309.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/allan-folsom-58786_matter-of-time_he-and-marten-may-be-needles-in-a-haysta_1411309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/allan-folsom-58786_matter-of-time_he-and-marten-may-be-needles-in-a-haysta_1411309.jpg) > ““He and Marten may be needles in a haystack, but straw by straw the hay is being taken away. It's only a matter of time, hours at most, before the floor is bare and the needles and right there in front of us.”” [Allan Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-folsom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small, persistent actions gradually erode a larger problem until it becomes unavoidable. **In simple terms:** Gradual effort removes obstacles. Key Takeaway Act consistently to dismantle issues. Themes persistence strategy problem solving Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - political activism - environmental cleanup - organizational reform Key Concepts incremental change systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What small actions can you take today? - How do you stay motivated during long battles? A Different Perspective Progress may be slow and unnoticed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Matter of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-of-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-lawrence/it-is-enough-for-me-to-pick-up-but-a-straw-from-the-ground-for-the/) [Brother Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother-lawrence/) > [Every man's life is a train made of straw which tries to move on a track made of fire! The very next stop is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-man-s-life-is-a-train-made-of-straw-which-tries-to-move-on-a/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/a-straw-vote-only-shows-which-way-the-hot-air-blows/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [A person who makes a fire of straw has much smoke but little warmth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-person-who-makes-a-fire-of-straw-has-much-smoke-but-little-warmth/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [If you are looking for a needle in a haystack, and somebody has already cataloged all the straw in the haystack, when you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/if-you-are-looking-for-a-needle-in-a-haystack-and-somebody-has/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/it-is-the-last-straw-that-breaks-the-camel-s-back/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“I'm a straw upon the surface of the deep, and am tossed in all directions by the elephants”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-m-a-straw-upon-the-surface-of-the-deep-and-am-tossed-in-all/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The human mind is so complex and things are so tangled up with each other that, to explain a blade of straw, one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-human-mind-is-so-complex-and-things-are-so-tangled-up-with-each/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Why don't I drink from a straw? Because straws are for suckers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/why-don-t-i-drink-from-a-straw-because-straws-are-for-suckers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I'm the youngest of six kids so I got the short straw in terms of bedrooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-mckenna/i-m-the-youngest-of-six-kids-so-i-got-the-short-straw-in-terms-of/) [Declan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-mckenna/) > [“I know it looks like a straw mop but I don’t look like the girl on that magazine do I?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-klass/i-know-it-looks-like-a-straw-mop-but-i-don-t-look-like-the-girl-on/) [Elle Klass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-klass/) > [Be yourself. I had this three-week period where I wore this straw fedora. I thought it was what chicks wanted. And then it dawned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/be-yourself-i-had-this-three-week-period-where-i-wore-this-straw/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [In a long journey straw waighs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-a-long-journey-straw-waighs/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [In good yeares corne is hay, in ill yeares straw is corne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-good-yeares-corne-is-hay-in-ill-yeares-straw-is-corne/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [While some of the critics are voicing legitimate concerns about the merits of a system of academic benchmarks, Common Core is frequently a straw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-perdue/while-some-of-the-critics-are-voicing-legitimate-concerns-about-the/) [Sonny Perdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-perdue/) ## More by Allan Folsom > [“Lifting the pillow, he brought out kanarack's gun and hefted it in his hand. Tipping it toward him, he saw the hole where death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-folsom/lifting-the-pillow-he-brought-out-kanarack-s-gun-and-hefted-it-in-his/) [Allan Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-folsom/) > [“It was a moment before she replied. And in that moment, she realized that what was gone from her was the child in her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-folsom/it-was-a-moment-before-she-replied-and-in-that-moment-she-realized/) [Allan Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-folsom/) > [“He was tired, he realized, emotionally and physically. He wanted to lie down and turn off the world and sleep for a week.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-folsom/he-was-tired-he-realized-emotionally-and-physically-he-wanted-to-lie/) [Allan Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-folsom/) > [“But thinking never took away tears. Only time did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-folsom/but-thinking-never-took-away-tears-only-time-did/) [Allan Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-folsom/) [Explore all 5 Allan Folsom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-folsom/) ## More Matter of time quotes > [He's got everything. He' not a great player yet because he hasn't won any major championships, but it's a matter of time. He's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-price/he-s-got-everything-he-not-a-great-player-yet-because-he-hasn-t-won/) Nick Price > [Being a display pilot is probably the thing I've been most proud of in my life. Don't really fly anymore now though. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-numan/being-a-display-pilot-is-probably-the-thing-i-ve-been-most-proud-of/) [Gary Numan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-numan/) > [“If you’re subjected to enough great salesmen and salespitches and marketing concepts for long enough—like from your earliest Saturday-morning cartoons, let’s say—it is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/if-you-re-subjected-to-enough-great-salesmen-and-salespitches-and/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [There's a weak link in every chain. 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But once you have the fundamentals, acquiring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lemond/perhaps-the-single-most-important-element-in-mastering-the-techniques/) [Greg LeMond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lemond/) > [“When you know what you know, live life in a transformed living, it's only a matter of time before people ask……what is your secret?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-frost/when-you-know-what-you-know-live-life-in-a-transformed-living-it-s/) [Anita Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-frost/) > [“For years, he’s been listening to her complain about being ignored by Justin and assuring it her it was simply a matter of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/for-years-he-s-been-listening-to-her-complain-about-being-ignored-by/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [It's only a matter of time until Facebook adds 'Friend-zoned' as a relationship status.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-only-a-matter-of-time-until-facebook-adds-friend-zoned-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as is not the end of the world, situation are meant to change, no matter what you going through wont last forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/as-long-as-is-not-the-end-of-the-world-situation-are-meant-to-change/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) [Browse all 321 Matter of time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-of-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He and Marten may be needles in a haystack, but straw by straw the hay is being taken away. 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