"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps"
About this Quote
The subtext is a warning about the political narcotic of incrementalism. Two small jumps feel safer because they preserve the illusion of control: there’s always a chance to recalibrate midair, to keep constituencies calm, to avoid owning the consequences. Lloyd George punctures that fantasy. Some problems are structured so that partial solutions are functionally the same as no solution, except they burn time and credibility on the way down. His metaphor turns hesitation into physics, not temperament.
Context matters because Lloyd George operated in an era when the scale of crisis made timidity obscene: world war, mass industrial society, labor unrest, the birth of the welfare state, Ireland’s upheaval. His premiership is often remembered for reforms that required not just policy detail but political nerve, and for wartime choices where “gradual” could translate into catastrophe.
Rhetorically, the sentence is engineered for action. It swaps abstract virtues (courage, leadership) for an image anyone can feel in their stomach. It’s also a subtle indictment: if you’re still plotting “two small jumps,” you’ve already admitted you don’t believe your plan will work.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
George, David Lloyd. (2026, January 15). Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/dont-be-afraid-to-take-a-big-step-if-one-is-45626/
Chicago Style
George, David Lloyd. "Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/dont-be-afraid-to-take-a-big-step-if-one-is-45626/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/dont-be-afraid-to-take-a-big-step-if-one-is-45626/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.










