Editorial status
altered
The familiar English sentence is a modern translation or paraphrase of Laozi, not Confucius. Translation units and wording differ across editions, so the chapter locator matters.
Source-backed author: Laozi
A journey of a thousand li begins beneath one's feet.
Earliest traceable appearance in this record: Dao De Jing, chapter 64; the English ‘thousand miles’ wording is a later translation tradition.