With willing hearts and skillful hands, the difficult we do at once; the impossible takes a bit longer.

(Other Authors and Sources)

Inscription, Seabees (U.S. Naval Construction Batallions) Memorial, Arlington Cemetery.

The US Army Corps of Engineers motto during WW II was “The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.” Other branches used it as well; Newsweek (8 Mar 1943) attributed it to the Army Air Forces and the NY Times (4 Nov 1945) attributed “The impossible we do at once; the miraculous takes a little longer” to the Army Service Forces.