Just a random thought...

I dont know if somebody has already mentioned something similar before, but kind of this thought popped into my head a fine day !

"A journey of a million steps begins with the first step.
The first step takes 999,999 years to accomplish, the other 999,999 steps can then be covered in a year"

As abtruse as this statement may sound, i think if you analyse the evolution of knowledge, this is true. The initial steps always take the most time. Once the foundation is laid painstakingly, then one can make rapid progress in the field. The glory of the mechanised world we see today, is probably a dream which started 600 years ago in da Vinci's mind. But who knows, Indian scientists may have predated da vinci by another 1000 years !
Such is life...