There are no traffic jams on the extra Meaning Factcheck Usage
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You know, “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile” is one of those lines that just sticks with you. It’s a simple but powerful truth: the path of least effort is always crowded, but the rewards are waiting for those willing to go further.

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Table of Contents

Meaning

At its core, this quote means that exceptional effort is a lonely road, but it’s also the one with the clearest path to success. The “extra mile” is never congested because so few people are willing to travel it.

Explanation

Let me break this down for you. Think about any competitive space—business, a career, even a hobby. The baseline, the “required” effort, is a complete and total traffic jam. Everyone is there, jostling for position, fighting for the same scraps of opportunity. It’s noisy, it’s frustrating, and progress is slow. But the “extra mile”? That’s the quiet road just past the exit everyone else is too busy or too comfortable to take. It’s where you do the unrequired research, make the extra follow-up call, or polish the project one more time. And because so few people are on it, you can really open up the throttle. You’re not competing with the masses anymore; you’re competing with yourself. And that is a completely different, and far more rewarding, game.

Quote Summary

ContextAttributes
Original LanguageEnglish (3668)
CategorySuccess (341)
Topicscommitment (33), effort (77), excellence (24)
Literary Styleaphoristic (181)
Emotion / Moodmotivating (311)
Overall Quote Score87 (185)
Reading Level50
Aesthetic Score90

Origin & Factcheck

This one comes straight from Brian Tracy’s 2000 book, The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success. You’ll sometimes see it misattributed to Zig Ziglar, which makes sense because they both operate in that same high-performance, motivational speaking sphere. But the original source is definitively Tracy.

Attribution Summary

ContextAttributes
AuthorBrian Tracy (375)
Source TypeBook (4032)
Source/Book NameThe 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success (48)
Origin TimeperiodContemporary (1615)
Original LanguageEnglish (3668)
AuthenticityVerified (4032)

Author Bio

Brian Tracy, a prolific author gained global reputation because of his best seller book list such as Eat That Frog!, Goals!, and The Psychology of Selling, and created influential audio programs like The Psychology of Achievement. He is sought after guru for personal development and business performance. Brian Tracy International, coaches millions of professionals and corporates on sales, goal setting, leadership, and productivity.
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Where is this quotation located?

QuotationThere are no traffic jams on the extra mile
Book DetailsPublication Year/Date: 2000; ISBN: 978-1576750805; Last edition: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Number of pages: 288.
Where is it?Chapter: The Law of the Extra Mile; Approximate page from 2000 edition

Authority Score98

Context

In the book, this quote sits within the framework of the “Law of Excellence.” Tracy isn’t just talking about working harder for the sake of it. He’s arguing that a reputation for consistently going above and beyond is the ultimate competitive edge. It’s a strategic principle, not just a motivational platitude.

Usage Examples

Here’s how I’ve seen this play out in the real world:

  • For a Sales Team: Instead of just sending the standard proposal, the rep who includes a personalized two-minute Loom video walking the client through the key points. That’s the extra mile. No traffic there.
  • For a Content Creator: While everyone is churning out 500-word listicles, the one who invests in original research, custom graphics, and expert interviews. Their content stands alone on an open highway.
  • For a Job Seeker: The candidate who doesn’t just submit a resume but does a mock-up of how they’d solve a current problem the company is facing. They instantly bypass the traffic jam of hundreds of generic applications.

To whom it appeals?

ContextAttributes
ThemeWisdom (1754)
Audiencescoaches (1277), entrepreneurs (1006), leaders (2619), students (3111)
Usage Context/Scenariocareer training (28), leadership programs (172), motivational talks (410), personal development workshops (19)

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Motivation Score95
Popularity Score93
Shareability Score96

Common Questions

Question: Does this mean I should just work all the time and burn myself out?

Answer: Great question, and a common misunderstanding. No, not at all. It’s not about raw hours; it’s about strategic effort. It’s about finding the one or two high-impact activities where that extra 10% of effort will yield 90% of the results. It’s working smarter, not just longer.

Question: What if my “extra mile” work goes unnoticed?

Answer: It might, at first. But this is a long-term game. That extra mile builds competence, confidence, and a body of work that simply cannot be ignored forever. It compounds. Eventually, people notice the person who never misses a detail and always delivers more than expected.

Question: How do I even find the “extra mile” in my role?

Answer: Look for the point of mediocrity. Where does everyone else stop? Where is the “good enough” threshold? The extra mile is just one step past that. It’s the follow-up after the follow-up. It’s anticipating the next question before it’s asked. It’s in the finishing touches.

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