A journey of a thousand leagues begins beneath one's feet.

This saying is a well-known English rendering of a line from the Daoist classic the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), traditionally attributed to Laozi (Lao Tzu) and compiled in early China (often dated to the late Warring States period). The line appears in a chapter that strings together brief observations about how great outcomes arise from small beginnings—e.g., a huge tree from a tiny sprout, a tall terrace from a basket of earth. In that context, the “thousand li” (a long distance) functions as a conventional image for an immense undertaking, emphasizing that even the largest endeavors start with an immediate, concrete first step.

The quote stresses that magnitude is built from immediacy: the vast “journey” is not begun in imagination or grand declarations but in the simple act of stepping forward where one already stands. It implies patience and humility—progress is incremental—and also a practical ethic of action: start with what is near, doable, and present. In Daoist terms, it can be read as aligning with the natural unfolding of things (dao): large transformations arise from small, unforced beginnings, and effective change comes from attending to the next step rather than fixating on distant endpoints.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
“A journey of a thousand li begins with a single step.”
“The journey of a thousand li begins beneath your feet.”