How to Read “Fast oxen also reach Yodo, slow oxen also reach Yodo”
Hayaushi mo yodo, osoushi mo yodo
Meaning of “Fast oxen also reach Yodo, slow oxen also reach Yodo”
This proverb means that even when people have different abilities or speeds, the final result is the same.
It teaches us a life truth: talented people and hardworking people both reach the same goal eventually. Those who can move quickly aren’t always at an advantage.
Sometimes they end up in the same place as those who progress slowly but steadily.
People use this proverb to comfort someone who’s feeling rushed or to caution someone who’s hurrying too much. It carries messages like “You don’t need to rush” or “It’s okay to go at your own pace.”
It’s also used to encourage people who worry too much about ability differences. The message is “Everyone ends up in the same place anyway.”
In modern times, this proverb’s value is being reconsidered precisely because our society emphasizes efficiency and speed. It offers a calm perspective that rushing doesn’t always produce good results.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain this proverb’s origin. However, the structure of the phrase reveals an interesting background.
“Yodo” refers to a place name in the Yodo River area of Kyoto. Yodo prospered as a key water transportation hub since ancient times.
Many ox carts carried goods through this transfer point.
Ox carts traveling from Kyoto toward Osaka had to stop at Yodo for rest and cargo transfers. This was true whether the oxen walked fast or slow.
Carts that left early and carts that left late both got held up at Yodo and ended up meeting there. The popular theory is that this proverb was born from observing this scene.
In the logistics system of that time, waiting at transfer points was unavoidable. The speed difference between individual oxen ultimately didn’t matter much.
The choice of oxen as the animal is also interesting. Oxen were used instead of horses because they were the main carriers of cargo.
But also, the slowness of oxen made the lesson “rushing produces the same result” more memorable. This proverb shows our ancestors’ keen observation in comparing life’s journey to ox carts.
Interesting Facts
Yodo on the Yodo River was the most important water transportation hub connecting Kyoto and Osaka from ancient times through the early modern period.
It’s known as the site where Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Yodo Castle. Not just goods but people frequently passed through this place.
Overland transport by ox cart also developed around Yodo as a center.
Oxen have supported Japanese agriculture and logistics since ancient times. They were stronger than horses and better suited for carrying heavy loads.
But they walked slowly, and the distance they could cover in a day was limited. These characteristics of oxen are likely why they were chosen for this proverb’s metaphor.
Usage Examples
- The talented newcomer and me who’s been working steadily—it’s fast oxen also reach Yodo, slow oxen also reach Yodo, so there’s no need to rush
- He’s efficient, but fast oxen also reach Yodo, slow oxen also reach Yodo, so I think I should just proceed at my own pace
Universal Wisdom
Behind why this proverb has been passed down lie the universal human emotions of “comparison” and “anxiety.”
We constantly compare ourselves to others. That person is efficient, this person is talented, and compared to them, I’m slow.
Feeling rushed or inferior through such comparisons is human nature across all eras.
But our ancestors saw that when you look at a long life, such temporary speed differences ultimately don’t mean much.
Life always has “Yodo-like” waypoints. It might be marriage, raising children, illness, or caregiving.
Even people who’ve been running fast must stop there. Conversely, people who’ve been walking slowly can catch up there.
What this proverb shows is the essence of “fairness” in life. God may seem unfair but might actually be fair.
People with the talent to run fast have their own trials waiting. People who can only move slowly have time to enjoy the scenery along the way.
In the end, what matters on life’s journey isn’t speed. It’s how much fulfilling time you can spend in the process.
This proverb teaches us this deep understanding of humanity through the familiar example of oxen and Yodo.
When AI Hears This
In optimization theory, when multiple methods exist to reach a goal, whether each path converges to the same result is an important question.
This proverb demonstrates exactly this “path independence.” The fact that both fast and slow oxen reach the Yodo River means the final state doesn’t change even when you vary the speed parameter.
In other words, conditions exist where a system’s final result doesn’t depend on the process.
What’s more interesting is the Pareto efficiency perspective. When you compare the time-saving benefit of rushing with the energy and fatigue costs consumed, marginal utility reverses at a certain point.
For example, exercise physiology shows that walking at twice the normal speed consumes more than twice the calories. The effort used to rush the ox, the productivity loss on later days from the ox’s fatigue—when you calculate these comprehensively, the rushing strategy isn’t necessarily optimal.
The same phenomenon appears in modern machine learning. When you try to optimize rapidly with a high learning rate, computational costs skyrocket and things become unstable instead.
Even with a slow learning rate, you often reach the same accuracy eventually. This proverb empirically recognized the danger of single metrics that pursue only speed in multi-objective optimization.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us today is “the courage to value your own pace.”
Don’t you feel rushed every time you see others’ success on social media? A colleague got promoted, a friend got married, a junior started a business.
Surrounded by such information, you might feel like you’re the only one being left behind.
But remember: fast oxen also reach Yodo, slow oxen also reach Yodo. Life always has points where everyone stops.
There, the speed differences up to that point get reset.
What matters is how much fulfilling time you can spend in the process of getting there.
People who kept rushing might not notice the flowers by the roadside. Because you walked slowly, you saw scenery, met people, and learned things.
These are never wasted. Rather, they’re the treasures that enrich your life.
Instead of comparing yourself to others and feeling rushed, move forward at your own stride, at your own rhythm. This proverb’s warmth affirms that way of living.
You’re moving forward steadily at your own pace.
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