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🇬🇧 English · Book Quotes · A1–B2

The Secret of Getting Ahead

A short, famous line — often credited to Mark Twain — about beating procrastination.

Level A1 · Beginner

There is a short saying. People often say Mark Twain wrote it. He was an American writer. The saying is: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

This sounds too simple. But think about the last big task you had. Maybe you cleaned the whole house. Maybe you wrote a report. The hardest part is often not finishing. It is starting.

The saying gives more advice too: break your big task into small tasks. Then start with just the first small one.

For example, a student needs to write a long essay. She does not have to write it all today. She can open a page and write one sentence.

This one small step makes the rest easier. The task does not feel like a mountain anymore. It feels like a path, one step at a time.

The same story, one level up

Every Journeva story exists at four levels — same plot, same characters, richer language each step. Here is how this one begins at each level.

A2 · Elementary

There is a short saying that is often credited to the American writer Mark Twain: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." …

B1 · Intermediate

There's a short saying that's often credited to the American writer Mark Twain: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." …

B2 · Upper intermediate

There exists a brief but enduring saying, frequently attributed to the American writer Mark Twain: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." …

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