“No race has ever been won in the first corner,” he said. “But plenty of races have been lost there.” I looked at him. He reached out, settled his hand on the crown of my head, and scratched my ear like he has always done. “That’s right,” he said to me. “If we’re going to be a cliché, let’s be a positive cliché.” Yes: the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.
