---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every step of progress the world has made…"
description: "\"Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake.\" — Wendell Phillips"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png"
---

#  Every step of progress the world has made has been from…

![“Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake.” quote by Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png)

> “Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake.”

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Progress builds incrementally, each advancement rests on previous foundations and new commitments.

**In simple terms:** Advancement is built on previous work and new commitments.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and build on past achievements.

Themes

progress incremental development foundation commitment

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

inspirational historical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- community projects
- personal growth
- infrastructure upgrades

Key Concepts

historical change social reform engineering education

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance building on past with innovative leaps?
- What foundations are missing today?

A Different Perspective

May overlook the need for radical breakthroughs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [May blessings and happiness attend every step of your progress in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/may-blessings-and-happiness-attend-every-step-of-your-progress-in/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“Cynics have observed that those who have benefited the most from “progress”—the citizens of the First World—are the people most inclined to disdain it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/cynics-have-observed-that-those-who-have-benefited-the-most-from/)

[Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/)

> [ Perhaps the singular positive of \[Donald\] Trump's desire to improve the deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Russia will lead to achieving progress toward… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/perhaps-the-singular-positive-of-donald-trump-s-desire-to-improve-the/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [The progress of the world through all its evils making it fit for the ideals, slowly but surely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-progress-of-the-world-through-all-its-evils-making-it-fit-for-the/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcleod-bethune/the-progress-of-the-world-will-call-for-the-best-that-all-of-us-have/)

[Mary McLeod Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mcleod-bethune/)

> [“Without stories of progress, the world has become a terrifying place. The ruin glares at us with the horror of its abandonment. It’s not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lowenhaupt-tsing/without-stories-of-progress-the-world-has-become-a-terrifying-place/)

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

> [Only those who do not fill the places they are holding slow the progress of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/only-those-who-do-not-fill-the-places-they-are-holding-slow-the/)

[Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/)

> [“Our ingress into the world was naked and bare; our progress through the world is trouble and care; our egress from the world will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/longfellow/our-ingress-into-the-world-was-naked-and-bare-our-progress-through-2/)

[Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/longfellow/)

> [For a new type of progress throughout the world to become a reality, everyone must change. Tolerance is the alpha and omega of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/for-a-new-type-of-progress-throughout-the-world-to-become-a-reality/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

> [What is termed Sin is an essential element of progress. Without it the world would stagnate, or grow old, or become colourless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-is-termed-sin-is-an-essential-element-of-progress-without-it-the-2/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The progress of the world means more enjoyment and more misery too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-progress-of-the-world-means-more-enjoyment-and-more-misery-too/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The scaffold has never yet and never will destroy an idea or a movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-james-ettor/the-scaffold-has-never-yet-and-never-will-destroy-an-idea-or-a/)

Joseph James Ettor

> [The progress of the world depends almost entirely upon education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eastman/the-progress-of-the-world-depends-almost-entirely-upon-education/)

[George Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eastman/)

> [Women have the right to mount the scaffold; they should likewise have the right to mount the rostrum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympe-de-gouges/women-have-the-right-to-mount-the-scaffold-they-should-likewise-have/)

[Olympe de Gouges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympe-de-gouges/)

> [“The progress of the world can certainly never come at all save by the modified action of the individual beings who compose the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-progress-of-the-world-can-certainly-never-come-at-all-save-by-the/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

## More by Wendell Phillips

> [Right is the eternal sun; the world cannot delay its coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/right-is-the-eternal-sun-the-world-cannot-delay-its-coming/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The best education in the world is that got by struggling to get a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-best-education-in-the-world-is-that-got-by-struggling-to-get-a/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/eternal-vigilance-is-the-price-of-liberty-power-is-ever-stealing-from/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The Puritan's idea of hell is a place where everybody has to mind his own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-puritan-s-idea-of-hell-is-a-place-where-everybody-has-to-mind-his/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The paleontological evidence before us today clearly demonstrates ordered progressive change with the successive development of new faunal and floral assemblages through the changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-paleontological-evidence-before-us-today-clearly-demonstrates/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The press is the exclusive literature of the million; to them it is literature, church, and college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-press-is-the-exclusive-literature-of-the-million-to-them-it-is/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Every government is always growing corrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/every-government-is-always-growing-corrupt/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Neither do I acknowledge the right of Plymouth to the whole rock. No, the rock underlies all America: it only crops out here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/neither-do-i-acknowledge-the-right-of-plymouth-to-the-whole-rock-no/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [The heart beats louder and the soul hears quicker in silence and solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-heart-beats-louder-and-the-soul-hears-quicker-in-silence-and/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Freedom to preach was first gained, dragging in its train freedom to print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/freedom-to-preach-was-first-gained-dragging-in-its-train-freedom-to/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Politicians are like the bones of a horse's foreshoulder-not a straight one in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/politicians-are-like-the-bones-of-a-horse-s-foreshoulder-not-a/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Wants awaken intellect. To gratify them disciplines intellect. The keener the want the lustier the growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/wants-awaken-intellect-to-gratify-them-disciplines-intellect-the/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Popular opinion is oftenest, what Carlyle pronounced it to be, a lie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/popular-opinion-is-oftenest-what-carlyle-pronounced-it-to-be-a-lie/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Great political questions stir the deepest nature of one-half the nation, but they pass far above and over the heads of the other half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/great-political-questions-stir-the-deepest-nature-of-one-half-the/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/organize-and-stand-together-claim-something-together-and-at-once-let/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

[Explore all 117 Wendell Phillips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

## More Every step quotes

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. I keep pushing forward, keep working hard every day, keep my head on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-daniels/being-under-recruited-coming-out-of-highland-i-ve-carried-that-with/)

[Mike Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-daniels/)

> [I hope that we always have diversity, that we have equality and representation every step of the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsai-martin/i-hope-that-we-always-have-diversity-that-we-have-equality-and/)

[Marsai Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsai-martin/)

> [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [When I get on the dance floor, my purpose in being on the dance floor is not to end up at another spot when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-i-get-on-the-dance-floor-my-purpose-in-being-on-the-dance-floor/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Every step by which an individual substitutes concerted action for isolated action results in an immediate and recognizable improvement in his conditions. The advantages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/every-step-by-which-an-individual-substitutes-concerted-action-for/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I can let go of a lot of stuff, but I focus on things I think I should, like dancing, because it takes 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuan-yuan-tan/i-can-let-go-of-a-lot-of-stuff-but-i-focus-on-things-i-think-i-should/)

[Yuan Yuan Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuan-yuan-tan/)

> [“Savannah came to him instantly, her face lit up with some emotion he dared not name.She was in a man's silk shirt and nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/savannah-came-to-him-instantly-her-face-lit-up-with-some-emotion-he/)

[Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/)

> [“All religions worthy of the name are now making great efforts to purify their doctrines and return to their original standpoint, — all except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/all-religions-worthy-of-the-name-are-now-making-great-efforts-to/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [Loving someone isnt always about the good and bad things that happen in you relationships its about knowing that no matter what eachother go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-black/loving-someone-isnt-always-about-the-good-and-bad-things-that-happen/)

Erika Black

> [“When we arrived we were met by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, both producers of the film. Lorri and I hadn't seen them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-echols/when-we-arrived-we-were-met-by-peter-jackson-and-fran-walsh-both/)

[Damien Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-echols/)

> [“IT TOOK a conscious effort for Tallow to keep his hand off his gun as he walked up the apartment building’s stairs. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/it-took-a-conscious-effort-for-tallow-to-keep-his-hand-off-his-gun-as/)

[Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/)

> [It's like every step we take in our lives is a risk and yet we must go on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/it-s-like-every-step-we-take-in-our-lives-is-a-risk-and-yet-we-must/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [As a kid, I learned from my parents, teachers, coaches, and friends that what mattered most was Truth - to uncover it, share it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/as-a-kid-i-learned-from-my-parents-teachers-coaches-and-friends-that/)

[Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/)

> [“I will tell you about the lady I loved." The girls settled together on the entrance steps, not even breathing, for fear it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/i-will-tell-you-about-the-lady-i-loved-the-girls-settled-together-on/)

[Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/)

Browse all 976 Every step quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wendell Phillips"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-made-has-been-from-scaffold-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Every step"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-made-has-been-from-scaffold-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/wendell-phillips-3986_every-step_every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-mad_2718147.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake.” — Wendell Phillips",
                "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": "Wendell Phillips",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every step of progress the world...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-made-has-been-from-scaffold-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/every-step-of-progress-the-world-has-made-has-been-from-scaffold-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
