This sentence comes from the sixty-fourth chapter of Laozi written by Li Chu II in the Spring and Autumn Period. Its original text and translation are as follows:
Original text:
Its security is easy to keep, but not easy to seek. Crispy and easy to spread, but slightly easy to disperse. Do it for nothing, treat it in disorder.
Broken wood is born in the end; Nine-story platform, starting with tired soil; A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Those who do lose, and those who do lose. Therefore, saints do nothing and do everything, stick to it and have nothing to lose.
People's sense of participation is often defeated by several achievements. If you are careful to the end, you will never fail.
Translation:
It is easy to maintain and maintain when the situation is stable, and it is easy to plot when there is no sign of the incident; Things are easy to dissolve when they are fragile; Things are easily lost in subtleties; Do things well, nip in the bud; To govern the country, we should be prepared before the disaster happens.
The folded thick wood is as thin as a needle; Nine-story platform, a basket of soil, a basket of soil; A journey of a thousand miles, step by step. People who do one thing will fail, and those who persist will suffer. Therefore, saints do nothing, so they will not lead to failure, nor will they be hurt by persistence.
Understanding of this sentence based on personal experience:
I searched a lot of information to understand the truth that this sentence wants to explain:
(1) Every little makes a mickle, and quantitative change leads to qualitative change.
To achieve great things, we must start from small things.
After reading this sentence, I always feel that what I usually do always fails when I am about to succeed. Because always eager to see the successful results, always counterproductive. So I began to understand that even if the result is near, I should be cautious. In other words, the sage suggested that people should be "cautious to the end", their minds should not be relaxed, and they should be completed bit by bit, so as to "fail".
I hope my answer can help you.