The project is nearly done, but the final tenth is half the work - the closer we get, the more careful we must be.
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From the 《战国策·秦策五》: 诗云“行百里者半于九十。”此言末路之难也 - 'The Odes say "of a hundred li, ninety is half" - this speaks of the hardness of the final stretch.' A classical warning that the closer you are to the goal, the harder the last bit becomes. Often invoked in reform speeches.
usage
Standard quotation in year-end speeches, project reviews, and reform-deepening rhetoric. The math is symbolic, not literal - the point is that the last 10% of a journey feels like half the effort.
