--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first step is the hardest." description: "\"The first step is the hardest.\" — Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg" --- # The first step is the hardest. ![“The first step is the hardest.” quote by Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg) > “The first step is the hardest.” [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The initial effort is the most challenging part of any endeavor. **In simple terms:** First step is hardest. Key Takeaway Start despite difficulty. Themes motivation growth challenge Mood encouraging realistic Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - starting a new habit - career change - learning a skill - exercise routine Key Concepts behavioral change goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What makes the first step hard? - How can you ease into new tasks? A Different Perspective First step may be intimidating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) ## Related quotes > [I think this is the start of something really big. Sometimes that first step is the hardest one, and we've just taken it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-this-is-the-start-of-something-really-big-sometimes-that/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [And like my dad always said, the first step is always the hardest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/and-like-my-dad-always-said-the-first-step-is-always-the-hardest/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [ \[On the legend that after being beheaded St. Denis walked six miles with his head in his hands:\] It is only the first step… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/on-the-legend-that-after-being-beheaded-st-denis-walked-six-miles/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [When you know what you're against you have taken the first step to discovering what you're for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/when-you-know-what-you-re-against-you-have-taken-the-first-step-to/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Confusion is the first step toward clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/confusion-is-the-first-step-toward-clarity/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [Each step you take reveals a new horizon. You have taken the first step today. Now, I challenge you to take another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-poynter/each-step-you-take-reveals-a-new-horizon-you-have-taken-the-first/) [Dan Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-poynter/) > [A runner is real when she takes the first step.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/a-runner-is-real-when-she-takes-the-first-step/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [To change the world, Start with one step. However small, the first step is hardest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/to-change-the-world-start-with-one-step-however-small-the-first-step/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [The first step of a journey is always the longest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/the-first-step-of-a-journey-is-always-the-longest/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [The launch of phase 1 Ebola vaccine studies is a first step in developing a vaccine that could be licensed and used in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-launch-of-phase-1-ebola-vaccine-studies-is-a-first-step-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“The hardest part is getting started. Once you take that first step, everything else will follow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-kandil/the-hardest-part-is-getting-started-once-you-take-that-first-step/) Omar Kandil > [“The first step is always the hardest”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-first-step-is-always-the-hardest/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Drugs: the softest one tends to be the first step towards the hardest of them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/drugs-the-softest-one-tends-to-be-the-first-step-towards-the-hardest/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“The first step is the hardest in every journey of dreams. So If you have had the tenacity to begin then we are confident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/the-first-step-is-the-hardest-in-every-journey-of-dreams-so-if-you/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) ## More by Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand > [God is not more incomprehensible than you; but if he is not more just, it is hardly worth while beIieving in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/god-is-not-more-incomprehensible-than-you-but-if-he-is-not-more-just/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [Faith is a devout belief in what one does not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/faith-is-a-devout-belief-in-what-one-does-not-understand/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [ \[On the legend that after being beheaded St. Denis walked six miles with his head in his hands:\] It is only the first step… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/on-the-legend-that-after-being-beheaded-st-denis-walked-six-miles/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [I love nothing and that is the true cause of my ennui.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/i-love-nothing-and-that-is-the-true-cause-of-my-ennui/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [Ah! I shall repeat it endlessly, the only misfortune is to be born!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/ah-i-shall-repeat-it-endlessly-the-only-misfortune-is-to-be-born/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [Heed the still small voice that so seldom leads us wrong, and never into folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/heed-the-still-small-voice-that-so-seldom-leads-us-wrong-and-never/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [. . . everything seems insupportable to me. This may very well be because I am insupportable myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/everything-seems-insupportable-to-me-this-may-very-well-be-because-i/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [Do I believe in ghosts? No, but I'm afraid of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-no-but-i-m-afraid-of-them/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [Impromptu thoughts are mental wild-flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/impromptu-thoughts-are-mental-wild-flowers/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [I hear nothings, I speak nothings, I take interest in nothing and from nothing to nothing I travel gently down the dull way which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/i-hear-nothings-i-speak-nothings-i-take-interest-in-nothing-and-from/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [Rules of society are nothing; one's conscience is the umpire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/rules-of-society-are-nothing-one-s-conscience-is-the-umpire/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) [Explore all 12 Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) ## More First step quotes > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [“I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-remember-wondering-within-a-year-or-two-of-taking-my-first-steps/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [At least before my hip replacement, I had a quick first step. I could get by you off the dribble. My business game is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/at-least-before-my-hip-replacement-i-had-a-quick-first-step-i-could/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-skillful-literary-artist-has-constructed-a-tale-if-wise-he-has-not/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [“Women create an idealized, hopeful vision for the future to inspire other women. Fiction and fantasy are the crucial first steps to changing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rodale/women-create-an-idealized-hopeful-vision-for-the-future-to-inspire/) [Maya Rodale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rodale/) > [“What liberty we find when we trade self-esteem for God-esteem, relying on what God’s Word says about us rather than looking solely to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-gallier/what-liberty-we-find-when-we-trade-self-esteem-for-god-esteem-relying/) [Laura Gallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-gallier/) > [How do you turn the invisible into the visible? The first step is to define your dream precisely; the only limit to what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/how-do-you-turn-the-invisible-into-the-visible-the-first-step-is-to/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Russia may soon get another chance to move closer to the West, to make a step - I do believe the first step toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-voinovich/russia-may-soon-get-another-chance-to-move-closer-to-the-west-to-make/) [Vladimir Voinovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-voinovich/) > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [I can turn an idea into a business before you know it's going to be important. My first step will blow by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-can-turn-an-idea-into-a-business-before-you-know-it-s-going-to-be/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“So, how do you make value flow? The first step, once value is defined and the entire value stream is identified, is to focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-womack/so-how-do-you-make-value-flow-the-first-step-once-value-is-defined/) [James P. Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-womack/) > [“The first step in awareness is to be watchful of your body. Slowly,slowly one becomes alert about each gesture,each movement. And as you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-first-step-in-awareness-is-to-be-watchful-of-your-body-slowly/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) [Browse all 1,815 First step quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first step is the hardest.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/the-first-step-is-the-hardest/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First step" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/the-first-step-is-the-hardest/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-m_first-step_the-first-step-is-the-hardest-2940079_2940079.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first step is the hardest.” — Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand", "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": "Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first step is the hardest.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/the-first-step-is-the-hardest/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/the-first-step-is-the-hardest/#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 } } ] } ```