We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.

The line contrasts the impossibility of total, immediate accomplishment with the practicality of taking a first step. It frames progress as incremental: large goals are achieved not by attempting to solve everything simultaneously, but by beginning with a concrete, manageable action now. The aphorism also carries a moral undertone often associated with civic leadership—urging responsibility and initiative rather than paralysis in the face of complexity. As a motivational maxim, it emphasizes agency (“we can do something”) and urgency (“at once”), suggesting that timely partial action is preferable to waiting for perfect conditions or comprehensive solutions.