--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The road and the tale have both been…" description: "\"The road and the tale have both been long, would you not say so? The trip has been long and the cost has been high... but no great thing was ever attai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/stephen-king-13_cost_the-road-and-the-tale-have-both-been-lon_360918.jpg" --- # The road and the tale have both been long, would you not… ![“The road and the tale have both been long, would you not say so? The trip has been long and the cost has been high... but no great thing was ever attained easily. A long tale, like a tall Tower, must be built a stone at a time.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/stephen-king-13_cost_the-road-and-the-tale-have-both-been-lon_360918.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/stephen-king-13_cost_the-road-and-the-tale-have-both-been-lon_360918.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/stephen-king-13_cost_the-road-and-the-tale-have-both-been-lon_360918.jpg) > “The road and the tale have both been long, would you not say so? The trip has been long and the cost has been high... but no great thing was ever attained easily. A long tale, like a tall Tower, must be built a stone at a time.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great achievements require persistent effort, incremental progress, and patience despite difficulty and cost. **In simple terms:** Big goals need steady, patient work. Key Takeaway Persist step by step. Themes perseverance effort goal setting Mood determined reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - building a business - writing a novel - learning a skill - fitness training Key Concepts incremental progress resilience long‑term vision Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take today toward your big goal? - How do you stay motivated during long projects? A Different Perspective Progress can be slow and may face setbacks or burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-tale-3314489/) [Road Tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/road-tale-3314491/) [Stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stones/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tale/) [Tale Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tale-long-3314490/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Towers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/towers/) [Trip Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trip-long-3314492/) ## Related quotes > [“Long trip, long day, no thanks, I’ll stay. Okay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/long-trip-long-day-no-thanks-i-ll-stay-okay/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [To your friends house the trip is never long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-wallace-day/to-your-friends-house-the-trip-is-never-long/) [J Wallace Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-wallace-day/) > [The glory of a good tale is that it is limitless and fluid; a good tale belongs to each reader in its own particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-glory-of-a-good-tale-is-that-it-is-limitless-and-fluid-a-good/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It is the tale, not he who tells it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-is-the-tale-not-he-who-tells-it/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [May you find your Tower, Roland, and breach it, and may you climb to the top!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/may-you-find-your-tower-roland-and-breach-it-and-may-you-climb-to-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The King is in his Tower, eating bread and honey. The Breakers in the basement, making all the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-king-is-in-his-tower-eating-bread-and-honey-the-breakers-in-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The Tower. He would come to the Dark Tower and there he would sing their names; there he would sing their names; there he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-tower-he-would-come-to-the-dark-tower-and-there-he-would-sing/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I'm not sure if it's fair to call it a 'fairy tale,' but I really loved 'Mulan,' the Disney film. It was my favorite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/i-m-not-sure-if-it-s-fair-to-call-it-a-fairy-tale-but-i-really-loved/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) > [At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/at-every-moment-of-our-lives-we-all-have-one-foot-in-a-fairy-tale-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“You are the fairy tale told by your ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/you-are-the-fairy-tale-told-by-your-ancestors/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Each of us has a creation tale - how we came into this world. And I'll add this: each of us has an uncreation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hainey/each-of-us-has-a-creation-tale-how-we-came-into-this-world-and-i-ll/) [Michael Hainey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hainey/) > [...a tale of too many cooks in the defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-brown/a-tale-of-too-many-cooks-in-the-defence/) [Ian Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-brown/) > [“McIntyre’s tale may have predecessors, but it is unique. I strain for literary comparisons and think: Kipling, the classical Chinese poets, early Patrick O’Brian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-bodio/mcintyre-s-tale-may-have-predecessors-but-it-is-unique-i-strain-for/) [Stephen J. Bodio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-bodio/) > [Whether we think of Disney's blonde beauty and her pumpkin carriage or Marissa Meyer's recent recasting of 'Cinderella' as a cyborg in the young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-rutkoski/whether-we-think-of-disney-s-blonde-beauty-and-her-pumpkin-carriage/) [Marie Rutkoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-rutkoski/) > [A sad tale's best for winter. I have one of sprites and goblins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-sad-tale-s-best-for-winter-i-have-one-of-sprites-and-goblins/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. 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Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Cost quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. 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It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) [Robbin Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbin-crosby/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [They brought on someone who cost more than our stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/they-brought-on-someone-who-cost-more-than-our-stadium/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 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