--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He showed me how...See, he says he's…" description: "\"“He showed me how...See, he says he's going up through Laos, then into Burma, and then some other country, I forget, and then India and Iran and Turkey..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/tim-o-brien-1818_laos_he-showed-me-how-see-he-says-he-s-going_561773.png" --- # He showed me how...See, he says he's going up through… ![“He showed me how...See, he says he's going up through Laos, then into Burma, and then some other country, I forget, and then India and Iran and Turkey, and then Greece, and the rest is easy. That's what he said. The rest is easy, he said.” quote by Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/tim-o-brien-1818_laos_he-showed-me-how-see-he-says-he-s-going_561773.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/tim-o-brien-1818_laos_he-showed-me-how-see-he-says-he-s-going_561773.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/tim-o-brien-1818_laos_he-showed-me-how-see-he-says-he-s-going_561773.png) > ““He showed me how...See, he says he's going up through Laos, then into Burma, and then some other country, I forget, and then India and Iran and Turkey, and then Greece, and the rest is easy. That's what he said. The rest is easy, he said.”” [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage humorously describes a convoluted travel plan that simplifies after a point, highlighting how complexity can be reduced to a simple, manageable path. **In simple terms:** Complex routes become simple after a point. Key Takeaway Break tasks into manageable steps. Themes travel complexity clarity strategy Mood lighthearted analytical Type narrative motivational When to use this quote - planning a trip - organizing a project - learning a new skill - overcoming overwhelm - strategic decision making Key Concepts logistics problem solving narrative technique Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you simplify in your current project? - When does “the rest is easy” become a trap? 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Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [It's very hard to articulate the things that are important about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/it-s-very-hard-to-articulate-the-things-that-are-important-about/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/the-thing-about-a-story-is-that-you-dream-it-as-you-tell-it-hoping/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Fiction, maybe art in general, is a tentative, uncertain enterprise; it's not science, it's an exploration, but you never find much in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/fiction-maybe-art-in-general-is-a-tentative-uncertain-enterprise-it-s/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“I learned that words make a difference. 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I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/my-life-is-storytelling-i-believe-in-stories-in-their-incredible/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [With a hangover and with fear, it is difficult to put a helmet on your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/with-a-hangover-and-with-fear-it-is-difficult-to-put-a-helmet-on-your/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Peace never bragged. If you didn't look for it, it wasn't there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/peace-never-bragged-if-you-didn-t-look-for-it-it-wasn-t-there/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) [Explore all 201 Tim O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## More Laos quotes > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Great master Lao Tzu says that 'The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. 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Like Lao-tzu and Dorothy both, Christian wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-wilson-hartgrove/for-the-christian-tradition-the-heart-s-true-home-is-a-life-rooted-in/) [Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-wilson-hartgrove/) > [The disciples were absorbed in a discussion of Lao-Tzu's dictum: "Those who know, do not say; Those who say, do not know." When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/the-disciples-were-absorbed-in-a-discussion-of-lao-tzu-s-dictum-those/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [If you are interested in Taoism, I would suggest that you read the Way of Life by Lao Tsu, the founder of Taoism. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-are-interested-in-taoism-i-would-suggest-that-you-read-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Lao Tsu says the way of life is ancient, timeless. It is existence which he calls the Tao - a mysterious source, beyond understanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/lao-tsu-says-the-way-of-life-is-ancient-timeless-it-is-existence/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The mind always wants to choose. The mind lives through choice. If you don't choose the mind drops. This is the way of Lao…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-mind-always-wants-to-choose-the-mind-lives-through-choice-if-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When I arrived in Laos and found young Americans living there, out of free choice, I was surprised. After only a week, I began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-i-arrived-in-laos-and-found-young-americans-living-there-out-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Lao Tsu always points a finger directly to us. He says we must begin with ourselves. 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Lao Tsu's way of life occurs in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/taoism-is-not-a-religion-although-perhaps-it-has-been-made-into-one/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 60 Laos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laos/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He showed me how...See, he says he's going up through Laos, then into Burma, and then some other country, I forget, and then India and Iran and Turkey, and then Greece, and the rest is easy. That's what he said. 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