The Virtue of Slowing Down and Doing Things Right the First Time

In a world obsessed with speed and efficiency, we often forget the quiet strength of doing things carefully and correctly. Rushing leads to mistakes, stress, and shallow work. Taking your time allows you to produce something you can be proud of. It shows respect—for the task, for yourself, and for the people affected by what you do. Slowing down isn’t laziness—it’s discipline, wisdom, and craftsmanship.

A True Story: The Bridge That Nearly Failed

In 2007, the MacArthur Maze overpass near San Francisco collapsed due to a tanker fire. Engineers were given an impossibly tight deadline to rebuild it. One contractor promised speed; another, C.C. Myers, promised accuracy. Myers’ team took their time, double-checked everything, and completed the rebuild 27 days ahead of schedule—without cutting corners. It was so well built that the highway authority praised it as a model of how “slowing down at the start saves lives at the end.”

Three Quotes from Books About Slowing Down and Getting It Right

In Essentialism (2014), Greg McKeown wrote:

The faster we go, the less we think. Slowing down is a choice to be deliberate—so we don’t waste time later fixing mistakes we could’ve prevented.

~ Greg McKeown

In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974), Robert M. Pirsig explained:

Care and quality are internal. If you don’t have time to do it right the first time, when will you have time to do it again?

~ Robert M. Pirsig

In The Power of Now (1997), Eckhart Tolle said:

When you rush, you are not present. And if you are not present, you will likely need to revisit what you skipped. Presence leads to precision.

~ Eckhart Tolle

Five More Quotes About the Power of Patience and Precision

In a 1994 interview, Steve Jobs stated:

We don’t ship junk. We’d rather take longer and get it right than rush and disappoint people. Excellence takes patience.

~ Steve Jobs

In 2012, author James Clear wrote:

Fast is fragile. Slow is smooth. Smooth becomes fast.

~ James Clear

In a 2016 TED Talk, Pico Iyer said:

In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. Going slow is the only way to go deep.

~ Pico Iyer

In a 2008 design lecture, architect Renzo Piano said:

Good buildings are like good lives—measured, intentional, made to last. If you rush, you miss the harmony.

~ Renzo Piano

In Atomic Habits (2018), James Clear also noted:

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Systems require precision. Precision requires patience.

~ James Clear

Life Lesson:

We often pay the price for our hurry—broken things, misunderstood words, missed opportunities. The world rewards speed in the short term, but lasting success comes from doing things right. So take a breath. Go slower. Be thorough. Mastery lives in the details, and dignity lives in the way you do even the smallest task. Doing it right the first time isn’t just efficient—it’s a mark of respect for your life and the lives your work touches.