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It's a marksmanship maxim, extant during Vietnam, gaining ground in any profession or activity where the principle made sense. SEALs definitely embraced it, but
by observationist 2y ago
It's a marksmanship maxim, extant during Vietnam, gaining ground in any profession or activity where the principle made sense. SEALs definitely embraced it, but I believe it originated in WWII in its modern form. There are all sorts of regional proverbs and teachings and sayings all over the world going back through history capturing the same basic notion, though.
Haste makes waste - British
Festina lente - Latin (Make haste slowly)
Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano - Italian (Slow and steady wins the race)
Slowly but surely - many cultures, probably dates back to hunter gatherers.
"Slow is smooth, smooth is quick, quick is fast" is the variation I was taught by a military relative. He was a Richard Marcinko fanboi, too, but I don't know if that's related. They all circle a notion we internalize with particular meaning that the words don't ever quite capture, perfectly, but we get the point across.
- agumonkey 2y agoI'd add huygens idea of light propagation, waves propagate toward the nicest path to reach a destination, even if it takes an angle.
- singleshot_ 2y agoI don’t think it originated in marksmanship, that’s all. I agree marksmen say this and I agree it’s a good strategy for shooting, in addition to other fine motor skills. If you look to your Italian version, it’s quite plausible that the idea originated in racing. Further, I hesitate to call Roman soldiers marksmen although I acknowledge aim is required when using a sword or spear.