پایه پایه رفت باید سوی بام

A high place is reached only by passing every step beneath it, and the saying applies that picture to any goal that lies at the end of a series of stages. Trying to jump straight to the top skips the footing that makes the top reachable, so the climb has to be taken in order.

It asks for patience with sequence as much as with time: progress is counted in steps completed, and the middle of the climb is part of the way up rather than a delay before it. It speaks to the person who is climbing, and it can warn against skipping groundwork as well as against giving up halfway.

It fits a learner impatient to master a skill, someone eager to rise quickly in a career, or anyone frustrated that a large goal is still far off, and a teacher or older relative might offer it as encouragement. It suits effort that moves forward by stages; it is less apt where there is nothing to do but wait.