--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All that I have accomplished ... has been…" description: "\"All that I have accomplished ... has been by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which builds the ant heap particle by particle, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png" --- # All that I have accomplished ... has been by that… ![“All that I have accomplished ... has been by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which builds the ant heap particle by particle, thought by thought, fact by fact.” quote by Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png) > “All that I have accomplished ... has been by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which builds the ant heap particle by particle, thought by thought, fact by fact.” [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Steady, patient effort accumulates small gains into significant achievements over time. **In simple terms:** Consistent small work builds big results. Key Takeaway Embrace patient, incremental work. Themes perseverance patience growth process incremental progress Mood reflective determined hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal projects - academic research - skill mastery - building a business - writing a book Key Concepts accumulation habit formation long‑term development Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance patience with decisive action? - What small step can you take today toward a larger goal? A Different Perspective May overlook breakthrough opportunities that require bold risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) [Accomplished Plodding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished-plodding-3207804/) [Ant Heap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ant-heap-3207805/) [Ants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ants/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Particles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particles/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [Persevering Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persevering-process-3207807/) [Plodding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plodding/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process Accretion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-accretion-3207806/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Now I know that patience and time can do more than even strength and passion. The years of frustration are ready to be harvested.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/now-i-know-that-patience-and-time-can-do-more-than-even-strength-and/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Genius is a plodding intellect, incapable of dreaming up the obstacles that stop the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/genius-is-a-plodding-intellect-incapable-of-dreaming-up-the-obstacles/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [In truth, I am nothing but a plodding mediocrity — please observe, a plodding mediocrity — for a mere mediocrity does not go very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-truth-i-am-nothing-but-a-plodding-mediocrity-please-observe-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What I'm definitely against is the plodding, paint-by-numbers 19th-century-style novel that's still being written today. I just don't understand why you'd read or write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/what-i-m-definitely-against-is-the-plodding-paint-by-numbers-19th/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [I believe firmly in plodding. Productivity is more a matter of diligent, long-distance hiking than it is one-hundred-yard dashing. Doing a little bit now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/i-believe-firmly-in-plodding-productivity-is-more-a-matter-of/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [No worthy enterprise can be done by us without continual plodding and wearisomeness to our faint and sensitive abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/no-worthy-enterprise-can-be-done-by-us-without-continual-plodding-and/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“Experiment and reason, tempered by intuition, were to him preferable to solid plodding in the well-trodden paths of experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-davenport-hines/experiment-and-reason-tempered-by-intuition-were-to-him-preferable-to/) [Richard Davenport-Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-davenport-hines/) > [“Plod diligently. Plodding generally goes in the same direction, while pottering doesn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/plod-diligently-plodding-generally-goes-in-the-same-direction-while/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [There is nothing wrong with wanting to publish - or read - books that have a wide potential audience. But it does generate a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-wanting-to-publish-or-read-books-that/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I hated the sight on TV of big, clumsy, lumbering heavyweights plodding, stalking each other like two Frankenstein monsters, clinging, slugging toe to toe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-hated-the-sight-on-tv-of-big-clumsy-lumbering-heavyweights-plodding/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [The course was more plodding than heroic: I did not strive valiantly against doubters but took incremental steps studded with a few intuitive leaps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-course-was-more-plodding-than-heroic-i-did-not-strive-valiantly/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [If I have any advantage, maybe, as a writer, it is that I don't think I'm very interesting. I mean, beginning a novel with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/if-i-have-any-advantage-maybe-as-a-writer-it-is-that-i-don-t-think-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Why, universal plodding poisons up The nimble spirits in the arteries, As motion and long-during action tires The sinewy vigor of the traveller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-universal-plodding-poisons-up-the-nimble-spirits-in-the-arteries/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'm a very famous wife but I'm still plodding along in my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-reeve/i-m-a-very-famous-wife-but-i-m-still-plodding-along-in-my-career/) [Dana Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-reeve/) > [In spite of our wisdom and sensible talking, we on our feet must go plodding and walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/in-spite-of-our-wisdom-and-sensible-talking-we-on-our-feet-must-go/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) ## More by Elihu Burritt > [Amongst the instrumentalities of love and peace, surely there can be no sweeter, softer, more effective voice than that of gentle, peace-breathing music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/amongst-the-instrumentalities-of-love-and-peace-surely-there-can-be/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [No human being can come into this world without increasing or diminishing the sum total of human happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/no-human-being-can-come-into-this-world-without-increasing-or/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [Our minds are like certain vehicles,--when they have little to carry they make much noise about it, but when heavily loaded they run quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/our-minds-are-like-certain-vehicles-when-they-have-little-to-carry/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [Knowledge cannot be stolen from us. It cannot be bought or sold. We may be poor, and the sheriff may come and sell our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/knowledge-cannot-be-stolen-from-us-it-cannot-be-bought-or-sold-we-may/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [Those orators who give us much noise and many words, but little argument and less wit, and who are the loudest when least lucid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/those-orators-who-give-us-much-noise-and-many-words-but-little/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [Forming characters! Whose? Our own or others? Both. And in that momentous fact lies the peril and Responsibility of our existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/forming-characters-whose-our-own-or-others-both-and-in-that-momentous/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [Be ever gentle with the children God has given you; watch over them constantly; reprove them earnestly, but not in anger. In the forcible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/be-ever-gentle-with-the-children-god-has-given-you-watch-over-them/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [Kindness is the music of Good Will to men, and on this harp the smallest fingers may play heaven's sweetest tunes on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/kindness-is-the-music-of-good-will-to-men-and-on-this-harp-the/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) > [All the beautiful orders of architecture and creations of the pencil, all the conceptions of the beautiful in nature and art and humanity, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/all-the-beautiful-orders-of-architecture-and-creations-of-the-pencil/) [Elihu Burritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) [Explore all 10 Elihu Burritt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/) ## More Accomplished quotes > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [... even the most sublimely accomplished non-stop talker can't consistently please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/even-the-most-sublimely-accomplished-non-stop-talker-can-t/) [J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/) > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that is empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-m-proud-of-what-i-ve-accomplished-and-that-is-empowering/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-gain-in-self-confidence-of-having-accomplished-a-tiresome-labour/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [With Epcot Center, the Disney corporation has accomplished something I didn't think possible in today's world. They have created a land of make-believe that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-accomplished-something-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) [Amy Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ridenour/) > [“Great things can be accomplished, when it doesnt matter who gets the credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/great-things-can-be-accomplished-when-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [If I could inspire you for even a moment to be yourself and love yourself, and not let what anyone has to say hinder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-neal-hartry/if-i-could-inspire-you-for-even-a-moment-to-be-yourself-and-love/) [Joshua Neal Hartry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-neal-hartry/) [Browse all 1,379 Accomplished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All that I have accomplished ... has been by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which builds the ant heap particle by particle, thought by thought, fact by fact.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elihu Burritt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by-that-plodding-patient/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accomplished" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by-that-plodding-patient/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/elihu-burritt-40919_accomplished_all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by_1956811.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All that I have accomplished ... has been by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which…” — Elihu Burritt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elihu Burritt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-burritt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All that I have accomplished ......", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by-that-plodding-patient/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-burritt/all-that-i-have-accomplished-has-been-by-that-plodding-patient/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```