---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The seed of a bamboo tree is planted…"
description: "\"The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized and watered. Nothing happens for the first year. There´s no sign of growth. Not even a hint. The same ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png"
---

#  The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized and…

![“The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized and watered. Nothing happens for the first year. There´s no sign of growth. Not even a hint. The same thing happens - or doesn´t happen - the second year. And then the third year. The tree is carefully watered and fertilized each year, but nothing…” quote by Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png)

> “The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized and watered. Nothing happens for the first year. There´s no sign of growth. Not even a hint. The same thing happens - or doesn´t happen - the second year. And then the third year. The tree is carefully watered and fertilized each year, but nothing shows. No growth. No anything. For eight years it can continue. Eight years! Then - after the eight years of fertilizing and watering have passed, with nothing to show for it - the bamboo tree suddenly sprouts and grows thirty feet in three months!”

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

## About This Quote

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

Patience and persistent effort often precede sudden, dramatic success after a long period of unseen work.

**In simple terms:** Hard work may be invisible before big results.

Key Takeaway

Keep nurturing your goals despite no visible progress.

Themes

patience perseverance growth delayed reward

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- career development
- personal projects
- skill mastery
- entrepreneurship
- health habits

Key Concepts

resilience longterm investment expectancy

Questions to Reflect On

- What long‑term goal have you been quietly nurturing?
- How do you stay motivated when progress isn’t visible?

A Different Perspective

Success may still be delayed despite consistent effort; external factors can affect timing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo/) [Bamboo Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo-tree-3356484/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Hints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hints/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Seed Bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seed-bamboo-3356485/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Suddenly Sprouts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suddenly-sprouts-3356486/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Three months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-months/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Fertilizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-fertilizing-3356487/)

## Related quotes

> [Chinese bamboo. A tree that grows really tall - to a height of over eighty feet. It takes around five years and three months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prakah-iyer/chinese-bamboo-a-tree-that-grows-really-tall-to-a-height-of-over/)

[Prakah Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prakah-iyer/)

> [Although we have no actual written communications from the world of emptiness, we have some hints or suggestions about what is going on in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/although-we-have-no-actual-written-communications-from-the-world-of/)

[Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/)

> [When my father was posted to Malaysia, we'd take bacon-and-egg sandwiches in our backpacks and go hiking in the jungle or make bamboo rafts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/when-my-father-was-posted-to-malaysia-we-d-take-bacon-and-egg/)

[Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/)

> [Well, it was just, the bars was all just like the bamboo roofs and everything. You know. As I say, to me, it's completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/well-it-was-just-the-bars-was-all-just-like-the-bamboo-roofs-and/)

[David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/)

> [Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/learn-about-a-pine-tree-from-a-pine-tree-and-about-a-bamboo-plant/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [I'm the gurl wit the real big hair, bamboo earings got about two pair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teyana-taylor/i-m-the-gurl-wit-the-real-big-hair-bamboo-earings-got-about-two-pair/)

[Teyana Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teyana-taylor/)

> [“With each new course, he offers up little bites of the ethos that drives his cooking, the tastes and the words playing off each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-goulding/with-each-new-course-he-offers-up-little-bites-of-the-ethos-that/)

[Matt Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-goulding/)

> [“We talked about how terrible the natural world could be. Of course, the bamboo is only doing what it must. Everything obeys it's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-talked-about-how-terrible-the-natural-world-could-be-of-course-the/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/bamboo-is-not-a-weed-it-s-a-flowering-plant-bamboo-is-a-magnificent/)

[Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/)

> [Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/notice-that-the-stiffest-tree-is-most-easily-cracked-while-the-bamboo/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [There is one thing sure about life: Life will push us hardly many times! When you are pushed, don't be surprised; stay firm like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-is-one-thing-sure-about-life-life-will-push-us-hardly-many/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/)

[Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/)

> [Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-pine-if-you-want-to-learn-about-the-pine-or-to-the-bamboo/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/)

[Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/)

> [Just hopped off the plane came back from Vancouv Little white tee sum boobs &amp; bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/just-hopped-off-the-plane-came-back-from-vancouv-little-white-tee-sum/)

[Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/)

## More by Zig Ziglar

> [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [Many companies have long contended that stress in the home causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it does. But research now reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/many-companies-have-long-contended-that-stress-in-the-home-causes/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [A plan is always successful if the plan is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/a-plan-is-always-successful-if-the-plan-is-good/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [Many times our weaknesses are extensions of our strengths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/many-times-our-weaknesses-are-extensions-of-our-strengths/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/it-s-not-what-you-ve-got-it-s-what-you-use-that-makes-a-difference/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [The child who has not been disciplined with love by his little world will be disciplined, generally without love, by the big world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-child-who-has-not-been-disciplined-with-love-by-his-little-world/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [When there is hope in the future, there is power in the present, and since hope is the foundational quality of all change, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/when-there-is-hope-in-the-future-there-is-power-in-the-present-and/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [The way you look on the outside has a definite bearing on how you feel and see yourself on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-way-you-look-on-the-outside-has-a-definite-bearing-on-how-you/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [You become great by going small thing in a great way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/you-become-great-by-going-small-thing-in-a-great-way/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [God showed me that He could and would replace everything that was missing in my life, but that nothing could replace Him in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/god-showed-me-that-he-could-and-would-replace-everything-that-was/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [As you move to the top, remember the story of the pump. If you start pumping casually or half -heartedly, you will pump forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/as-you-move-to-the-top-remember-the-story-of-the-pump-if-you-start/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [Success comes from repeated efforts day in and day out. You learn from your mistakes, make adjustments and continue pressing forward until you achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/success-comes-from-repeated-efforts-day-in-and-day-out-you-learn-from/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/positive-thinking-will-let-you-use-the-ability-which-you-have-and/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [It will be disastrous when a leader or manager shows up with one attitude one day and treats people with a different attitude the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/it-will-be-disastrous-when-a-leader-or-manager-shows-up-with-one/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-go-looking-for-a-friend-you-re-going-to-find-they-re-very/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

[Explore all 788 Zig Ziglar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

## More Bamboo quotes

> [Just hopped off the plane came back from Vancouv Little white tee sum boobs &amp; bamboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/just-hopped-off-the-plane-came-back-from-vancouv-little-white-tee-sum/)

[Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/)

> [Memory that yearns to join the centre, a limb remembering the body from which it has been severed, like those bamboo thighs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/memory-that-yearns-to-join-the-centre-a-limb-remembering-the-body/)

[Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/)

> [Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-pine-if-you-want-to-learn-about-the-pine-or-to-the-bamboo/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/)

[Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/)

> [There is one thing sure about life: Life will push us hardly many times! When you are pushed, don't be surprised; stay firm like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-is-one-thing-sure-about-life-life-will-push-us-hardly-many/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/notice-that-the-stiffest-tree-is-most-easily-cracked-while-the-bamboo/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/bamboo-is-not-a-weed-it-s-a-flowering-plant-bamboo-is-a-magnificent/)

[Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/)

> [“We talked about how terrible the natural world could be. Of course, the bamboo is only doing what it must. Everything obeys it's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-talked-about-how-terrible-the-natural-world-could-be-of-course-the/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“With each new course, he offers up little bites of the ethos that drives his cooking, the tastes and the words playing off each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-goulding/with-each-new-course-he-offers-up-little-bites-of-the-ethos-that/)

[Matt Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-goulding/)

> [I'm the gurl wit the real big hair, bamboo earings got about two pair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teyana-taylor/i-m-the-gurl-wit-the-real-big-hair-bamboo-earings-got-about-two-pair/)

[Teyana Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teyana-taylor/)

> [Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/learn-about-a-pine-tree-from-a-pine-tree-and-about-a-bamboo-plant/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Well, it was just, the bars was all just like the bamboo roofs and everything. You know. As I say, to me, it's completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/well-it-was-just-the-bars-was-all-just-like-the-bamboo-roofs-and/)

[David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/)

> [When my father was posted to Malaysia, we'd take bacon-and-egg sandwiches in our backpacks and go hiking in the jungle or make bamboo rafts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/when-my-father-was-posted-to-malaysia-we-d-take-bacon-and-egg/)

[Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/)

> [Why are we deforesting for pulp and paper when we have a logical and efficient solution in plants like kenaf or bamboo? It doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/why-are-we-deforesting-for-pulp-and-paper-when-we-have-a-logical-and/)

[Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/)

> [The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-human-capacity-for-burden-is-like-bamboo-far-more-flexible-than/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

[Browse all 63 Bamboo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bamboo/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized and watered. Nothing happens for the first year. There´s no sign of growth. Not even a hint. The same thing happens - or doesn´t happen - the second year. And then the third year. The tree is carefully watered and fertilized each year, but nothing shows. No growth. No anything. For eight years it can continue. Eight years! Then - after the eight years of fertilizing and watering have passed, with nothing to show for it - the bamboo tree suddenly sprouts and grows thirty feet in three months!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Zig Ziglar"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fertilized-and-watered-nothing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bamboo"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fertilized-and-watered-nothing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/zig-ziglar-263_bamboo_the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fer_1977502.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The seed of a bamboo tree is planted, fertilized and watered. Nothing happens for the first year. There´s no…” — Zig Ziglar",
                "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": "Zig Ziglar",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The seed of a bamboo tree...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fertilized-and-watered-nothing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-seed-of-a-bamboo-tree-is-planted-fertilized-and-watered-nothing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
