# "The easy way is the hard way, and the hard way is the easy way."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easy-way-is-the-hard-way-and-the-hard-way-is-the-easy-way/296170>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 25, 2005, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easy-way-is-the-hard-way-and-the-hard-way-is-the-easy-way/296170 "2005-03-25T06:54:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easy-way-is-the-hard-way-and-the-hard-way-is-the-easy-way/296170/1 "2005-03-25T06:54:22Z")

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“The easy way is the hard way, and the hard way is the easy way.”

My brother-in-law quoted that to me a few weeks ago, the point being (for him) that it’s better to do things well than quickly. He didn’t remember who said it, though.

Online sources – unmpeachable fonts of wisdom, I know – cite either the Dalai Lama or “it’s a proverb.”

Anyone know who first said it and when?

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**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easy-way-is-the-hard-way-and-the-hard-way-is-the-easy-way/296170/2 "2005-03-25T16:31:06Z")

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Just using my one-time bump, since I was unwise enough to post this in the middle of the night.