Sometimes it's necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.

The line suggests that the most direct or “efficient” route to a goal is not always the one that yields the truest result. Progress—whether in art, relationships, self-knowledge, or problem-solving—can require detours: experimentation, mistakes, conflict, or time spent in apparent digression. Only by moving outward (testing limits, confronting what is avoided, or exploring alternatives) can one return with clarity and arrive “correctly.” In an Albee-like register, it also hints at the paradox that honesty and precision may demand discomfort and circuitous confrontation rather than polite shortcuts. The quote values process over speed, implying that correctness is earned through the long way around.