--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We rise to great heights by a winding…" description: "\"We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.\" — Francis Bacon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg" --- # We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small… ![“We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.” quote by Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg) > “We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.” [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Progress comes from accumulating many modest achievements rather than a single grand effort. **In simple terms:** Small steps build great heights. Key Takeaway Focus on incremental progress. Themes growth perseverance goal‑setting Mood optimistic steady Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - learning a skill - career advancement - fitness training Key Concepts philosophy productivity self‑improvement Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take now? - How do tiny wins motivate you? A Different Perspective Large leaps may be unrealistic without foundation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great heights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-heights/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Small steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-steps/) ## Related quotes > [I've seen a lot in my life, and everybody goes down the dark, winding staircase eventually. It's a bad place to be and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/i-ve-seen-a-lot-in-my-life-and-everybody-goes-down-the-dark-winding/) [Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/) > [“Are you really going to carry me up those stairs?" "Yeah." Gennie cast a look at the winding staircase and tightened her hold. "I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/are-you-really-going-to-carry-me-up-those-stairs-yeah-gennie-cast-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Once I tried to make a standardization of staircases. Probably that is one of the oldest of the standardizations. Of course, we design new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/once-i-tried-to-make-a-standardization-of-staircases-probably-that-is/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [A tune's like a staircase - walk up on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-rainey/a-tune-s-like-a-staircase-walk-up-on-it/) [Ma Rainey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-rainey/) > [The way up is a staircase. The way down is a cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tablo/the-way-up-is-a-staircase-the-way-down-is-a-cliff/) [Tablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tablo/) > [I would always fall down the big main staircase in our house. My favorite thing in the world was to pretend to be horribly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hyde-pierce/i-would-always-fall-down-the-big-main-staircase-in-our-house-my/) [David Hyde Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hyde-pierce/) > [Life is a journey up a spiral staircase; as we grow older we cover the ground covered we have covered before, only higher up;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/life-is-a-journey-up-a-spiral-staircase-as-we-grow-older-we-cover-the/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [It's like climbing a staircase. I'm on the top of the staircase, I look behind me and I see the steps. That's where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-moreau/it-s-like-climbing-a-staircase-i-m-on-the-top-of-the-staircase-i-look/) [Jeanne Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-moreau/) > [Grief is a circular staircase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-pastan/grief-is-a-circular-staircase/) [Linda Pastan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-pastan/) > [The mother is not dying exactly, but has reached a point in life where death is a familiar on the staircase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/the-mother-is-not-dying-exactly-but-has-reached-a-point-in-life-where/) [Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/) > [Many a man may look respectable, and yet be able to hide at will behind a spiral staircase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/many-a-man-may-look-respectable-and-yet-be-able-to-hide-at-will/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [What is a staircase, but a corridor improved by elevation?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gilbert-murdock/what-is-a-staircase-but-a-corridor-improved-by-elevation/) [Catherine Gilbert Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gilbert-murdock/) > [Often, what seems an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/often-what-seems-an-impossible-climb-is-just-a-staircase-without-the/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [In a crime story, the details become tremendously important - where the staircase was in relation to the bed, for example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-james/in-a-crime-story-the-details-become-tremendously-important-where-the/) [Bill James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-james/) > [I just - I kind of see it that way. I find the higher angles down. I do - look, you can go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/i-just-i-kind-of-see-it-that-way-i-find-the-higher-angles-down-i-do/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) ## More by Francis Bacon > [Princes are like heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration, but no rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/princes-are-like-heavenly-bodies-which-cause-good-or-evil-times-and/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The best preservative to keep the mind in health is the faithful admonition of a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-best-preservative-to-keep-the-mind-in-health-is-the-faithful/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/since-custom-is-the-principal-magistrate-of-man-s-life-let-men-by-all/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-today-is-pure-intuition-and-luck-and-taking-advantage-of/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When Christ came into the world, peace was sung; and when He went out of the world, peace was bequeathed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-christ-came-into-the-world-peace-was-sung-and-when-he-went-out/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [...neither is it possible to discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science, if you stand but upon the level of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/neither-is-it-possible-to-discover-the-more-remote-and-deeper-parts/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The human understanding, when any preposition has been once laid down... forces everything else to add fresh support and confirmation; and although more cogent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-human-understanding-when-any-preposition-has-been-once-laid-down/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I should have been, I don't know, a con-man, a robber or a prostitute. But it was vanity that made me choose painting, vanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-should-have-been-i-don-t-know-a-con-man-a-robber-or-a-prostitute/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Wounds cannot be cured without searching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/wounds-cannot-be-cured-without-searching/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-french-are-wiser-than-they-seem-and-the-spaniards-seem-wiser-than/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-a-man-laughs-at-his-troubles-he-loses-a-great-many-friends-they/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) [Explore all 711 Francis Bacon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## More Great heights quotes > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It seems that it is impossible to live without discovering the purpose of your life. And the first thing which a person should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/it-seems-that-it-is-impossible-to-live-without-discovering-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Without great mountains we cannot reach great heights. And we are born to reach great heights”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/without-great-mountains-we-cannot-reach-great-heights-and-we-are-born/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [To answer oppression with appropriate resistance requires knowledge of two kinds: in the first place, self-knowledge by the victim, which means awareness that oppression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/to-answer-oppression-with-appropriate-resistance-requires-knowledge/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [When the pursuit of natural harmony is a shared journey, great heights can be attained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-hill/when-the-pursuit-of-natural-harmony-is-a-shared-journey-great-heights/) [Lynn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-hill/) > [But people need lift, too. People don't get moving, they don't soar, they don't achieve great heights, without someone buoying them up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/but-people-need-lift-too-people-don-t-get-moving-they-don-t-soar-they/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [Meditation ... must be power of will and strength of attention, being like a flight to great heights wherein wings must be plied hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vila-blake/meditation-must-be-power-of-will-and-strength-of-attention-being-like/) [James Vila Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vila-blake/) > [Each time the losses and deceptions of life teach us about impermanence, they bring us closer to the truth. When you fall from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/each-time-the-losses-and-deceptions-of-life-teach-us-about/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [The mind reaches great heights only by spurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-mind-reaches-great-heights-only-by-spurts/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I want to keep myself awake at night I imagine I'm on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-great-height-if-i-want-to-keep/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Skill development remains our priority. We are blessed with a demographic dividend that can take us to great heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/skill-development-remains-our-priority-we-are-blessed-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“From such great heights come the biggest falls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cole/from-such-great-heights-come-the-biggest-falls/) [Chris Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cole/) > [The Sappers really need no tribute from me; their reward lies in the glory of their achievement. The more science intervenes in warfare, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/the-sappers-really-need-no-tribute-from-me-their-reward-lies-in-the/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/if-i-associate-with-chickens-i-will-learn-to-scratch-at-the-ground/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [It makes one’s head heavy and giddy, as if one were not looking back down the receding perspectives of time but rather down on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/it-makes-one-s-head-heavy-and-giddy-as-if-one-were-not-looking-back/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) [Browse all 28 Great heights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-heights/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Bacon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-staircase-of-small-steps/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great heights" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-staircase-of-small-steps/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/francis-bacon-297_great-heights_we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-st_1780603.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We rise to great heights by a winding staircase of small steps.” — Francis Bacon", "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": "Francis Bacon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We rise to great heights by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-staircase-of-small-steps/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/we-rise-to-great-heights-by-a-winding-staircase-of-small-steps/#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 } } ] } ```