The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that costs.
La distance n'y fait rien; il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte.
Original text (French)
More quotes by Madame du Deffand
All truths are not to be uttered; still it is always good to hear them.
Shallow men speak of the past, wise men of the present, and fools of the future.
Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weakness.
One is no more the master of his impressions than of his coughing or sneezing.
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Attribution
Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Madame du Deffand (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.