--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even though you try very hard, the…" description: "\"Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little. It is not like going out in a shower in which you know when you get we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/466/shunryu-suzuki-1280_difficult_even-though-you-try-very-hard-the-progre_2846980.jpg" --- # Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is… ![“Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little. It is not like going out in a shower in which you know when you get wet. In a fog, you do not know you are getting wet, but as you keep walking you get wet little by little. If your mind has ideas of progress, you may…” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/466/shunryu-suzuki-1280_difficult_even-though-you-try-very-hard-the-progre_2846980.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/466/shunryu-suzuki-1280_difficult_even-though-you-try-very-hard-the-progre_2846980.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/466/shunryu-suzuki-1280_difficult_even-though-you-try-very-hard-the-progre_2846980.jpg) > “Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little. It is not like going out in a shower in which you know when you get wet. In a fog, you do not know you are getting wet, but as you keep walking you get wet little by little. If your mind has ideas of progress, you may say, 'Oh, this pace is terrible!' But actually it is not. When you get wet in a fog it is very difficult to dry yourself.” [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## 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 gradual and often invisible, like becoming wet in fog; patience and persistence are essential. **In simple terms:** Improvement happens slowly and subtly, not always noticeable. Key Takeaway Embrace steady, patient effort. Themes patience mindfulness progress impermanence effort Mood calm reflective inspirational Type aphorism teaching spiritual guidance When to use this quote - learning a skill - spiritual practice - daily habits Key Concepts Zen philosophy incremental growth mindful practice Questions to Reflect On - How can you tell when progress is occurring? - What practices help maintain patience? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry/) [Fog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fog/) [Fog Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fog-difficult-3765557/) [Fog Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fog-know-3604731/) [Getting Wet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-wet-574317/) [Going out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-out/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Little by little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-by-little/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pace/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Showers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/showers/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Walking Wet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-wet-3765558/) [Wet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wet/) [Wet Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wet-walking-3765559/) ## Related quotes > [“Watching someone you love die is like driving through a fog. You know you're headed somewhere but you can't see your hand in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikki-wakefield/watching-someone-you-love-die-is-like-driving-through-a-fog-you-know/) [Vikki Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikki-wakefield/) > [If all those people are getting wet to welcome me, surely the least I can do is get wet too!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-gagarin/if-all-those-people-are-getting-wet-to-welcome-me-surely-the-least-i/) [Yuri Gagarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-gagarin/) > [Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days since we first met? It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-police/do-i-have-to-tell-the-story-of-a-thousand-rainy-days-since-we-first/) [The Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-police/) > [“What difference does a little rain matter, since you’ll be getting wet anyhow?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cylin-busby/what-difference-does-a-little-rain-matter-since-you-ll-be-getting-wet/) [Cylin Busby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cylin-busby/) > [You want something but you don't want to try. It's like you want to swim without getting wet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-want-something-but-you-don-t-want-to-try-it-s-like-you-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whenever you jump to the water, you will not be afraid getting wet anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-you-jump-to-the-water-you-will-not-be-afraid-getting-wet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If she thinks getting wet is running through sprinklers she's too young for you bro!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-she-thinks-getting-wet-is-running-through-sprinklers-she-s-too/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want something ,make moves . If you don't try ,you just may regret it !Seriously! I mean it's like you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jsv/if-you-want-something-make-moves-if-you-don-t-try-you-just-may-regret/) [JSV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jsv/) > [If I melt dry ice, can I swim without getting wet?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-i-melt-dry-ice-can-i-swim-without-getting-wet/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [A real friend is someone who doesn't like getting wet in the rain but will accompany you when you're going through a storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-friend-is-someone-who-doesn-t-like-getting-wet-in-the-rain-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have heard upscale adult U.S. citizens ask the ship's Guest Relations Desk whether snorkeling necessitates getting wet...I now know the precise mixocological difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-have-heard-upscale-adult-u-s-citizens-ask-the-ship-s-guest/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“You're getting me wet." He looked me in the eyes for the first time, and the corners of his mouth turned upward. "Although I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janette-rallison/you-re-getting-me-wet-he-looked-me-in-the-eyes-for-the-first-time-and/) [Janette Rallison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janette-rallison/) > [It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always me that ends up getting wet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/it-s-a-big-enough-umbrella-but-it-s-always-me-that-ends-up-getting-wet/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [“Sometimes the trick to getting the best of a situation was just to wait. 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You are one with everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/whereever-you-are-you-are-one-with-the-clouds-and-one-with-the-sun/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/when-we-become-truly-ourselves-we-just-become-a-swinging-door-and-we/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. 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Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. 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