How to eat an elephant?

How to Eat an Elephant? One Bite at a Time

This African proverb is of uncertain origin, often attributed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”

The proverb is a vivid way to think about goals. Behind every achievement stand three forces—patience, self-control, and persistence—imagine them as a triangle. Through the lens of the proverb:

• Patience — you know you can’t eat the elephant at once.

• Self-control — you resist quitting when it feels impossible.

• Persistence — you keep taking one bite every day.

Famous examples

Leo Tolstoy – War and Peace He began in 1863, published early parts, then rewrote the novel and released it in 1869. His wife recopied entire manuscripts multiple times—a marathon of patience and revision.

J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury said yes. Patience to wait, self-control not to take rejection personally, and persistence to keep writing—her success triangle.

Stephen King Carrie received about 30 rejections before Doubleday accepted it—and that book launched his career. Persistence to keep submitting, patience to wait for the right moment.

Thomas Edison The “10,000 failures” number is debated, but his relentless experimenting is fact. He described it as finding “thousands of ways that don’t work.” Patience with the process was foundational to discovery.

KFC / Colonel Harland Sanders He sold chicken for decades before success; the first franchise came in 1952 when he was 62. Persistence to pitch the recipe, self-control not to give up.

Sergey Bubka He broke the pole-vault world record 35 times, often by just 1 cm—textbook strategic, patient steps upward (more on this in my next article).

The mechanics behind the rhythm

Patience = foundation, time, long path

Self-control = energy, emotions, the helm

Persistence = engine, action, fuel

Formula: Goal = Patience × Self-control × Persistence(if even one is 0, the result is 0)

Corollary: Patience sets the direction, self-control steers the energy, persistence moves the action. When the three are in sync, progress becomes sustainable.

Today’s speed vs yesterday’s patience

In the past, life moved slowly; patience was embedded in the era—great work, years of consistency, time as part of the process. Now technology accelerates everything and creates short, fast stories. That makes patience a rarer, more valuable virtue. If your goal looks as huge as an elephant, remember: you can eat it one bite at a time.

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