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About this quote

What does it mean?
Ambitious people often do lowly tasks to climb higher eventually.
In plain terms
To get high up, you might have to crawl first.
What can you take from it?
Small steps help big ambitions.

Where it applies

  • job hunting
  • networking
  • project management

Putting it to work

  • do grunt work willingly
  • focus on long term goals

Questions to consider

  • What jobs are you willing to do?
  • Is ambition worth the compromise?

Another view

Doing menial work does not guarantee promotion.

More from Jonathan Swift

  1. The latter part of a wise person's life is occupied with curing the follies, prejudices and false opinions they contracted earlier.'

    Permalink to quote #88
  2. In church your grandsire cut his throat; to do the job too long he tarried: he should have had my hearty vote to cut his throat before he married.

    Permalink to quote #90
  3. It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into.

    Permalink to quote #87

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