Progress is our most important product.

The line frames “progress” not as a byproduct of work but as the central deliverable—more important than any single item produced. Read this way, it suits organizations, governments, or individuals who measure success by continual improvement: better methods, expanded capabilities, or increased well-being over time. Calling progress a “product” also borrows the language of industry and commerce, implying that advancement can be planned, engineered, and evaluated like something manufactured. The aphorism thus encourages a long-term, iterative mindset: if you are reliably moving forward—learning, refining, and adapting—then tangible outputs will follow, and stagnation becomes the real failure.