Nothing Is Done Until Everything is Done

In the old Chaldean tradition, very often the young novices were given an image when they were invested with the white robe; they were told: "Do not try to remove the stains one by one, the whole robe must be purified." Do not try to correct your faults one by one, to overcome your weakness one by one, it does not take you very far. The entire consciousness must be changed, a reversal of consciousness must be achieved, a springing up out of the state in which one is towards a higher state from which one dominates all the weaknesses one wants to heal, and from which one has a full vision of the work to be accomplished.

I believe Sri Aurobindo has said this: things are such that it may
be said that nothing is done until everything is done. One step
ahead is not enough, a total conversion is necessary.

How many times have I heard people who were making an
effort say, "I try, but what's the use of my trying? Every time I
think I have gained something, I find that I must begin all over
again." This happens because they are trying to go forward while
standing still, they are trying to progress without changing their
consciousness. It is the entire point of view which must be shifted, the whole consciousness must get out of the rut in which it lies so as to rise up and see things from above. It is only thus that victories will not be changed into defeats.

The Mother : The Sunlit Path p.171