--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It doesn't matter which leg of your table…" description: "\"It doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first, so long as the table has four legs and will stand up solidly when you have finished it.\" — Ez..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png" --- # It doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first… ![“It doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first, so long as the table has four legs and will stand up solidly when you have finished it.” quote by Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png) > “It doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first, so long as the table has four legs and will stand up solidly when you have finished it.” [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The sequence of building a table is irrelevant as long as the final product is stable; focus on the end result rather than the order of steps. **In simple terms:** Result matters more than the order of actions. Key Takeaway Prioritize the final goal over procedural details. Themes productivity process goals Mood pragmatic inquisitive Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - project management - construction - software development Key Concepts systems thinking goal orientation flexibility Questions to Reflect On - Is the order of steps ever critical? - When does flexibility become a risk? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Leg Table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leg-table-1670816/) [Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legs/) [Legs Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legs-stand-3922271/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Solidly Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solidly-finished-4290454/) [Stand Solidly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-solidly-4290453/) [Table Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/table-legs-1670817/) [Tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tables/) ## Related quotes > [“This table has four legs. Would you not say that is a truth, independent of my perspective?” Pattern buzzed uncertainly. “What is a leg?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/this-table-has-four-legs-would-you-not-say-that-is-a-truth/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I thought his wooden leg was part of the table at first. My bad, buddy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-thought-his-wooden-leg-was-part-of-the-table-at-first-my-bad-buddy/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Now, we love our auto industry. But if we had worked harder on diversifying this economy long ago, then if one of the legs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-granholm/now-we-love-our-auto-industry-but-if-we-had-worked-harder-on/) [Jennifer Granholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-granholm/) > [A lie has no legs, and cannot stand; but it has wings, and can fly far and wide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-warburton/a-lie-has-no-legs-and-cannot-stand-but-it-has-wings-and-can-fly-far/) [William Warburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-warburton/) > [Stand up and walk. Move on. After all, you have perfect legs to stand on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stand-up-and-walk-move-on-after-all-you-have-perfect-legs-to-stand-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ just as a stool requires three legs to stand upright so the taekwondoist must cultivate basic skills, meaningful forms, and effective sparring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-cook/just-as-a-stool-requires-three-legs-to-stand-upright-so-the/) [Doug Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-cook/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [I think I can recognize when a piece is at a state of completion. I always say to my wife, "Oh yeah, it's roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-think-i-can-recognize-when-a-piece-is-at-a-state-of-completion-i/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [When you begin your work, nothing exists. When it is finished it looks as if it just happened, spontaneously, effortlessly, convincingly. It looks as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/when-you-begin-your-work-nothing-exists-when-it-is-finished-it-looks/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) > [When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. You're not doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-you-do-a-voice-in-an-animated-film-you-don-t-see-the-finished/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) ## More by Ezra Pound > [“I once saw a small child go to an electric light switch as say, "Mamma, can I open the light?" She was using the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/i-once-saw-a-small-child-go-to-an-electric-light-switch-as-say-mamma/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Till now they send him dreams and no more deed; So doth he flame again with might for action, Forgetful of the council of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/till-now-they-send-him-dreams-and-no-more-deed-so-doth-he-flame-again/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [A great age of literature is perhaps always a great age of translations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/a-great-age-of-literature-is-perhaps-always-a-great-age-of/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [It would be about as easy for an American to become a Chinaman or a Hindoo as for him to acquire an Englishness or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/it-would-be-about-as-easy-for-an-american-to-become-a-chinaman-or-a/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Poets who are not interested in music are, or become, bad poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/poets-who-are-not-interested-in-music-are-or-become-bad-poets/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Anyone who is too lazy to master the comparatively small glossary necessary to understand Chaucer deserves to be shut out from the reading of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/anyone-who-is-too-lazy-to-master-the-comparatively-small-glossary/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Mass ought to be in Latin, unless you could do it in Greek or Chinese. In fact, any abracadabra that no bloody member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/mass-ought-to-be-in-latin-unless-you-could-do-it-in-greek-or-chinese/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [where the dead walked and the living were made of cardboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/where-the-dead-walked-and-the-living-were-made-of-cardboard/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Liberty is not a right but a duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/liberty-is-not-a-right-but-a-duty/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The artist is always beginning. Any work of art which is not a beginning, an invention, a discovery is of little worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-artist-is-always-beginning-any-work-of-art-which-is-not-a/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Any general statement is like a cheque drawn on a bank. Its value depends on what is there to meet it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/any-general-statement-is-like-a-cheque-drawn-on-a-bank-its-value/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The author's conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-author-s-conviction-on-this-day-of-new-year-is-that-music-begins/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [In case I conk out, this is provisionally what I have to do: I must clarify obscurities; I must make clearer definite ideas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/in-case-i-conk-out-this-is-provisionally-what-i-have-to-do-i-must/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [“Adolf Hitler was a Jeanne d'Arc, a saint. He was a martyr.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/adolf-hitler-was-a-jeanne-d-arc-a-saint-he-was-a-martyr/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [I could I trust starve like a gentleman. It's listed as part of the poetic training, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/i-could-i-trust-starve-like-a-gentleman-it-s-listed-as-part-of-the/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) [Explore all 273 Ezra Pound quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## More Finished quotes > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. You're not doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-you-do-a-voice-in-an-animated-film-you-don-t-see-the-finished/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [When you begin your work, nothing exists. When it is finished it looks as if it just happened, spontaneously, effortlessly, convincingly. It looks as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/when-you-begin-your-work-nothing-exists-when-it-is-finished-it-looks/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I think I can recognize when a piece is at a state of completion. I always say to my wife, "Oh yeah, it's roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-think-i-can-recognize-when-a-piece-is-at-a-state-of-completion-i/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [Don't be intimidated by the size of your problem or the size of your dream. God will see to it that it is finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-be-intimidated-by-the-size-of-your-problem-or-the-size-of-your/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Since the recording process is instantaneous, and the nature of the image such that it cannot survive corrective handwork, it is obvious that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/since-the-recording-process-is-instantaneous-and-the-nature-of-the/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [As a matter of fact, even when I finished law school, I had no notion of public service then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dinkins/as-a-matter-of-fact-even-when-i-finished-law-school-i-had-no-notion/) [David Dinkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dinkins/) [Browse all 2,024 Finished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first, so long as the table has four legs and will stand up solidly when you have finished it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ezra Pound" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-table-you-make-first-so-long-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finished" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-table-you-make-first-so-long-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/ezra-pound-1208_finished_it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-tabl_2115275.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first, so long as the table has four legs and will stand…” — Ezra Pound", "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": "Ezra Pound", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It doesn't matter which leg of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-table-you-make-first-so-long-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/it-doesn-t-matter-which-leg-of-your-table-you-make-first-so-long-as/#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 } } ] } ```