---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best teachers have showed me that…"
description: "\"The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly--we only think it does. The motion..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png"
---

#  The best teachers have showed me that things have to be…

![“The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly--we only think it does. The motion of drawing back a bow and sending an arrow straight into a target takes only a split second, but it is a skill many years in the making. So it is…” quote by Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png)

> “The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly--we only think it does. The motion of drawing back a bow and sending an arrow straight into a target takes only a split second, but it is a skill many years in the making. So it is with a life, anyone's life.”

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Progress is built through incremental effort; mastery appears sudden but requires years of practice.

**In simple terms:** Great results need steady work.

Key Takeaway

Embrace patient, consistent effort.

Themes

patience skill growth

Mood

determined reflective

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- learning a craft
- training for sport
- career development
- personal improvement

Key Concepts

incremental mastery deliberate practice

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you break a big goal into daily actions?
- What skill have you underestimated?

A Different Perspective

Quick results often mask hidden labor.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-teacher/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly--we only think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-things-have-to-be-done-bit-by-2/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [“But if the arrow is straight And the point is slick, It can pierce through dust no matter how thick. So I'll make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/but-if-the-arrow-is-straight-and-the-point-is-slick-it-can-pierce/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [The best teachers have shown me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly - we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-best-teachers-have-shown-me-that-things-have-to-be-done-bit-by/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [Like a rock, standing arrow straight. Like a rock, charging from the gate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/like-a-rock-standing-arrow-straight-like-a-rock-charging-from-the-gate/)

[Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/)

> [“Cupid's arrow is straight and sharp, never misses its mark, but it leaves one hell of an exit wound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-preston/cupid-s-arrow-is-straight-and-sharp-never-misses-its-mark-but-it/)

Dave Preston

> [...nothing ever happens quickly (except when it does). Nothing is ever, ever easy (except when it is). And, most of all, nothing ever goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/nothing-ever-happens-quickly-except-when-it-does-nothing-is-ever-ever/)

[Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/)

> [Television happens very quickly. It was like a shot of adrenaline into me, as a filmmaker, and my career. You can hit town, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-bassett/television-happens-very-quickly-it-was-like-a-shot-of-adrenaline-into/)

Michael J. Bassett

> [That's the thing about football, it all happens quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-verratti/that-s-the-thing-about-football-it-all-happens-quickly/)

[Marco Verratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-verratti/)

> [It happens so quickly it seems like it's coming from somewhere else. It's not It just means that you're in sync with yourself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-nilsson/it-happens-so-quickly-it-seems-like-it-s-coming-from-somewhere-else-2/)

[Harry Nilsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-nilsson/)

> [“The discovery of a brain tumor is a life-changing event that happens quickly, and for most people there is a surreal quality to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-black/the-discovery-of-a-brain-tumor-is-a-life-changing-event-that-happens/)

[Peter Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-black/)

> [The best thing about television news is, it's immediate. Everything at a news network happens quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/the-best-thing-about-television-news-is-it-s-immediate-everything-at/)

[Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/)

> [On grass courts everything happens so quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iga-swiatek/on-grass-courts-everything-happens-so-quickly/)

[Iga Swiatek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iga-swiatek/)

> [Nothing ever happens quickly. Nothing is ever, ever easy. Most of all, nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-ever-happens-quickly-nothing-is-ever-ever-easy-most-of-all/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I write songs, it happens very quickly, sometimes 10 to 15 minutes, and I draw inspiration from everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rogers/when-i-write-songs-it-happens-very-quickly-sometimes-10-to-15-minutes/)

[Maggie Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rogers/)

> [It happens so quickly it seems like it's coming from somewhere else. It's not. It just means that you're in sync with yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-nilsson/it-happens-so-quickly-it-seems-like-it-s-coming-from-somewhere-else/)

[Harry Nilsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-nilsson/)

## More by Joseph Bruchac

> [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [“The old man must have stopped our car two dozen times to climb out and gather into his hands the small toads blinded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-old-man-must-have-stopped-our-car-two-dozen-times-to-climb-out/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [Guilt can make you doubt yourself at the very moment when you need to proceed with certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/guilt-can-make-you-doubt-yourself-at-the-very-moment-when-you-need-to/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [Knowledge is easy to come by. Understanding what you know takes much longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/knowledge-is-easy-to-come-by-understanding-what-you-know-takes-much/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [There are many people who could claim and learn from their Indian ancestry, but because of the fear their parents and grandparents knew, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/there-are-many-people-who-could-claim-and-learn-from-their-indian/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [There is a kind of certainty that seems to characterize Jared Smith's best work, an understanding about place and the flow of spirit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/there-is-a-kind-of-certainty-that-seems-to-characterize-jared-smith-s/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [It is important to understand that there are many different ways of seeing the world and expressing the wisdom of Native belief...No one voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/it-is-important-to-understand-that-there-are-many-different-ways-of/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [Native people such as the Cherokees are just as human and complex and real as Americans are, and our nation needs to respect American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/native-people-such-as-the-cherokees-are-just-as-human-and-complex-and/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [“So it is that both this breathing moment and what is called "the future"are always linked with what is called "the past." So it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/so-it-is-that-both-this-breathing-moment-and-what-is-called-the/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [“Librarians. . . have been my lifelong friends, guides and heroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/librarians-have-been-my-lifelong-friends-guides-and-heroes/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [When the Lakota leader Sitting Bull was asked by a white reporter why his people loved and respected him, Sitting Bull replied by asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/when-the-lakota-leader-sitting-bull-was-asked-by-a-white-reporter-why/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [“I wish you had been there with me in that picture,” he used to say to Wilsie and me. “It is so lonely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/i-wish-you-had-been-there-with-me-in-that-picture-he-used-to-say-to/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [We need to walk to know sacred places, those around us and those within. We need to walk to remember the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/we-need-to-walk-to-know-sacred-places-those-around-us-and-those/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [A journal is a very personal thing. As far as possible, to write this sort of book you need to know and feel your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/a-journal-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-far-as-possible-to-write-this/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [One of the things I've been taught by Native American elders is the importance of patience, of waiting to do things when the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/one-of-the-things-i-ve-been-taught-by-native-american-elders-is-the/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

[Explore all 27 Joseph Bruchac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

## More Arrow quotes

> [I'll get that arrow, pretty boy, and I'll do it with my shirt \*on\*. -Yao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulan/i-ll-get-that-arrow-pretty-boy-and-i-ll-do-it-with-my-shirt-on-yao/)

[Mulan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulan/)

> [Enough for this bow &amp; arrow. It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/)

Louaiq8

> [The main thing is to have strings to your bow. You get your badges, you see where life is, and then you see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-campbell/the-main-thing-is-to-have-strings-to-your-bow-you-get-your-badges-you/)

[Sol Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-campbell/)

> [There are ceremonious bows that repel one like a cudgel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/there-are-ceremonious-bows-that-repel-one-like-a-cudgel/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [Game of Thrones. I'm all about it. I watch Arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-r-mcqueen/game-of-thrones-i-m-all-about-it-i-watch-arrow/)

[Steven R. McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-r-mcqueen/)

> [“Took an arrow in the knee on my way through the Eld three summers ago. It gives out every now and then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/took-an-arrow-in-the-knee-on-my-way-through-the-eld-three-summers-ago/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [My Band, Pierce the Arrow, is my other passion along with acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sandoval/my-band-pierce-the-arrow-is-my-other-passion-along-with-acting/)

[Tom Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sandoval/)

> [If you shoot an arrow and it goes real high... Hooray for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-corey/if-you-shoot-an-arrow-and-it-goes-real-high-hooray-for-you/)

[Dorian Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-corey/)

> [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/)

[Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/)

> [“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-it-is-a-long-way-off-we-cannot/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Follow your arrow / Wherever it points,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/follow-your-arrow-wherever-it-points/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [If the work is high and far, You must not only aim aright, But draw the bow with all your might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-the-work-is-high-and-far-you-must-not-only-aim-aright-but-draw-the/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“How did you kill the Ashman in the forest last year?” “I shot him with an arrow.” “What kind of arrow?” “A sharp one.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/how-did-you-kill-the-ashman-in-the-forest-last-year-i-shot-him-with/)

[Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/)

> [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [I must only warn you of one thing. You have become a different person in the course of these years. For this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/i-must-only-warn-you-of-one-thing-you-have-become-a-different-person/)

[Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/)

Browse all 232 Arrow quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly--we only think it does. The motion of drawing back a bow and sending an arrow straight into a target takes only a split second, but it is a skill many years in the making. So it is with a life, anyone's life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Bruchac"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-things-have-to-be-done-bit-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrow"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-things-have-to-be-done-bit-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/joseph-bruchac-22507_arrow_the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-th_912144.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens…” — Joseph Bruchac",
                "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": "Joseph Bruchac",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The best teachers have showed me...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-things-have-to-be-done-bit-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/the-best-teachers-have-showed-me-that-things-have-to-be-done-bit-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
