--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But which is the stone that supports the…" description: "\"But which is the stone that supports the bridge?\" — Kublai Khan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png" --- # But which is the stone that supports the bridge? ![“But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” quote by Kublai Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png) > “But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” [Kublai Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kublai-khan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The metaphor asks which foundational element supports a larger structure, urging identification of essential support. **In simple terms:** It asks which stone holds up the bridge. Key Takeaway Identify core supports in projects. Themes strategy foundation structure analysis leadership Mood strategic thoughtful inquisitive Type professional analytical When to use this quote - business planning - engineering - team building - policy making Key Concepts support systems critical pillars risk management Questions to Reflect On - What is the most critical support in your current project? - How do you ensure other elements remain stable? A Different Perspective Focusing on one element may ignore systemic interdependence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridge/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stone/) [Stone Supports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stone-supports-2051461/) [Stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stones/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Supports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supports/) [Supports Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supports-bridge-3784338/) ## Related quotes > [“Marco Polo describes a bridge, stone by stone. 'But which is the stone that supports the bridge?' Kublai Khan asks. 'The bridge is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/marco-polo-describes-a-bridge-stone-by-stone-but-which-is-the-stone/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > ['The Night Cafe' and 'The Starry Night' still emit such pathos, density, and intensity that they send shivers down the spine. Whether Van Gogh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-night-cafe-and-the-starry-night-still-emit-such-pathos-density/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [It's never a good idea to burn your bridges, the more you have the further you can go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sotelo/it-s-never-a-good-idea-to-burn-your-bridges-the-more-you-have-the/) [Michael Sotelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sotelo/) > [Bridge is one of the last games in which the computer is not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/bridge-is-one-of-the-last-games-in-which-the-computer-is-not-better/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Never burn bridges - You never know who you will need help from in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-burn-bridges-you-never-know-who-you-will-need-help-from-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Faith becomes a bridge between where I am and where I want to go- it is a substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-becomes-a-bridge-between-where-i-am-and-where-i-want-to-go-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes you have to burn bridges to keep pests from following you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/sometimes-you-have-to-burn-bridges-to-keep-pests-from-following-you/) [Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/) > [Bridge shortens the roads; wisdom does the same!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bridge-shortens-the-roads-wisdom-does-the-same/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Winter makes a bridge between one year and another and, in this case, one century and the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/winter-makes-a-bridge-between-one-year-and-another-and-in-this-case/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Sometimes burning bridges isn't a bad thing. It prevents you from going back to a place you should never have been to begin with...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-burning-bridges-isn-t-a-bad-thing-it-prevents-you-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was voters in the Rust Belt that cared about their roads being rebuilt, their highways, their bridges. They felt like the world was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-parscale/it-was-voters-in-the-rust-belt-that-cared-about-their-roads-being/) [Brad Parscale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-parscale/) > [Be careful of the bridges you burn, because one day, you might need to cross that same bridge to get where you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/be-careful-of-the-bridges-you-burn-because-one-day-you-might-need-to/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [Nobody can build the bridge for you to walk across the river of life, no one but you yourself alone. There are, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-can-build-the-bridge-for-you-to-walk-across-the-river-of-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) ## More by Kublai Khan > [Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kublai-khan/why-do-you-speak-to-me-of-the-stones-it-is-only-the-arch-that-matters/) [Kublai Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kublai-khan/) > [I have heard that one can conquer the empire on horseback, but one cannot govern it on horseback.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kublai-khan/i-have-heard-that-one-can-conquer-the-empire-on-horseback-but-one/) [Kublai Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kublai-khan/) [Explore all 3 Kublai Khan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kublai-khan/) ## More Bridge quotes > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Art is what gets us beyond what is real. It makes reality more real. It also shortens the distance we gotta travel to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-pritchett/art-is-what-gets-us-beyond-what-is-real-it-makes-reality-more-real-it/) [Laura Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-pritchett/) > [People who have lost relationships often wonder why they can't just let it be water under the bridge. It is water under the bridge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-fairley/people-who-have-lost-relationships-often-wonder-why-they-can-t-just/) [Grant Fairley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-fairley/) > [Telling your story is transformative. For both the storyteller and their audience, a new bridge to understanding is created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-burton/telling-your-story-is-transformative-for-both-the-storyteller-and/) [Susan Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-burton/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [“Mr Benz, the parapet of an Italian bridge doesn’t look like the proper place for you,” said Chase.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefania-mattana/mr-benz-the-parapet-of-an-italian-bridge-doesn-t-look-like-the-proper/) [Stefania Mattana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefania-mattana/) > [I find that it's best to take one step at a time and cross each bridge as they come to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stuhlbarg/i-find-that-it-s-best-to-take-one-step-at-a-time-and-cross-each/) [Michael Stuhlbarg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stuhlbarg/) > [“Houses built on bridges are scandals. A bridge wants to not be. If it could choose its shape, a bridge would be no shape,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/houses-built-on-bridges-are-scandals-a-bridge-wants-to-not-be-if-it/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [Bridge the gap with closed minds though careful dissection of ideas and solid presentation of fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/bridge-the-gap-with-closed-minds-though-careful-dissection-of-ideas/) [Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/) > [I remember, many years ago, coming over the Brooklyn Bridge in the night and seeing the skyline of Manhattan, with the Twin Towers. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-remember-many-years-ago-coming-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-in-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [My parents wielded disposal cameras and Polaroids with the best of them, occasionally begging for at least one decent photo of my brother and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/my-parents-wielded-disposal-cameras-and-polaroids-with-the-best-of/) [Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/) > [“Love is a bridge between your future and mine. A bridge constructed entirely out of trust, honesty, and in our case, wooden planks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/love-is-a-bridge-between-your-future-and-mine-a-bridge-constructed/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [What I do is I'm trying to bridge the gap between yoga and fitness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-ingber/what-i-do-is-i-m-trying-to-bridge-the-gap-between-yoga-and-fitness/) [Mandy Ingber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-ingber/) > [Historically, Hong Kong has served as an important bridge between China and the world. Our freedoms, stability and the rule of law have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/historically-hong-kong-has-served-as-an-important-bridge-between/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [Tower Bridge would make a cool house. I like the idea of living over the river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-broad/tower-bridge-would-make-a-cool-house-i-like-the-idea-of-living-over/) [Stuart Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-broad/) [Browse all 736 Bridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But which is the stone that supports the bridge?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kublai Khan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kublai-khan/but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the-bridge/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bridge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kublai-khan/but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the-bridge/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/kublai-khan-88044_bridge_but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the_2039031.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” — Kublai Khan", "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": "Kublai Khan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kublai-khan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But which is the stone that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kublai-khan/but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the-bridge/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kublai-khan/but-which-is-the-stone-that-supports-the-bridge/#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 } } ] } ```