First, of things relating to animals; secondly, of irrational creatures; thirdly of plants; fourthly, of ceremonies; fifthly, of manners; sixthly, of cases or edicts or quarrels; seventhly, of cases that are impossible in nature [paradoxes], as, for instance, of those things which, the more is taken from them, the more they grow. And reserve the great matters till the end, and the small matters give at the beginning.

If then you desire (aim at) such great things, remember that you must not (attempt to) lay hold of them with a small effort; but you must leave alone some things entirely, and postpone others for the present.

In the end things must be as they are and have always been — the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound, the delicacies and thrills for the refined, and, to sum up shortly, everything rare for the rare.

SMALL THINGS
& GREAT

He that lets
the small things bind him
leaves the great
undone behind him.

There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.

Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige's wall there was this one: "Matters of great concern should be treated lightly." Master lttei commented, "Matters of small concern should be treated seriously." Among one's affairs there should not be more than two or three matters of what one could call great concern. If these are deliberated upon during ordinary times, they can be understood. Thinking about things previously and then handling them lightly when the time comes is what this is all about.

Take care with the end as you do with the beginning.

Matters of great concern should be treated lightly.” Master Ittei commented, “Matters of small concern should be treated seriously.

Where is it written that one should only care about big things?

In each separate thing that you do consider the matters which come first, and those which follow after, and only then approach the thing itself.

Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.

"Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige's wall, there was this one: "Matters of great concern should be treated lightly." Master Ittei commented, "Matters of small concern should be treated seriously.

Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.

Better to put things at the worst at first," replied the engineer, "and reserve the best for a surprise.