"I was traveling, and I met with a child at a crossroads. I asked him, 'which way to the city?' and he answered: 'This way is short and long, and this way is long and short.'
"I took the 'short and long' way. I soon reached the city but found my approach obstructed by gardens and orchards. So I retraced my steps and said to the child: 'My son, did you not tell me that this is the short way?' Answered the child: 'Did I not tell you that it is also long?'"
The 'short and long' way seemed the most direct and surest way to town; but in truth, the direct approach is a dead end. It might seem to lead directly to the city but somehow it never quite makes it.
On the other hand, the long but short way is winding, steep, tedious, and long as life itself. It is full of ups and downs, setbacks and frustrations. It demands every once of intellectual and emotional stamina the human being can muster. But it is a road that leads, steadily and surely, to the aspired-to-destination.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe