That is an awesome quote. Probably not Twain though :-)

And while you really can't necessarily achieve anything this way, you can make progress. So if you decide to say mine minerals on the moon, you can start making progress toward that but it may be that you never do find a ride up and back.

It's like trying to reach the moon by climbing a tree - one can report steady progress, all the way to the top of the tree! Dreyfus

>>So if you decide to say mine minerals on the moon, you can start making progress toward that but it may be that you never do find a ride up and back.

No that is not how you apply this quote, to going to the moon. If wish to go to the moon, you break down the tasks of going there and coming back into smaller pieces and execute smaller set of tasks.

I like this one (discovered via Civilization):

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." - Henry Ford

Playing devils advocate, sometimes it is the "breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks" that is the hardest thing to get started.

Divide and Conquer

really love this quote!