Who Said It

"-It's only the first step that is the hardest" said Marie du Deffand.
She was an avid letter writer and Salonière, 
and one of her friends was famously witty writer Voltaire. 

She was born in France 1697, and died 83 years later in 1780.

Whether she meant to be inspirational, sarcastic or witty, or a combination thereof,
who knows?
It was the age of Enlightenment, and a comment on something the Cardinal had said.


 Cardinal Melchior de Polignac

Cardinal de Polignac had told the story of St Denis,

of how St Denis walked 6 miles (10 km) carrying his severed head
in his hands and preaching as he went.


A statue of St Denis at Roman Catholic Basilica of Denis in Paris, France.

Denis was Bishop of Paris in the 3rd century, and he was martyred
in connection with persecutions of Christians and was beheaded.


The walking headless St Denis, at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

The Cardinal said Denis picked his head up after being decapitated,
walked six miles,
while preaching a sermon of repentance the entire way.

To which Marie du Deffant comments:
"-En de telles affaires, il n'y a que le premier pas qui coute"
(In such cases, the distance doesn't matter;
it is only the first step that is the most difficult.)



The antique wax seal intaglio we used for making this necklace of headless St Denis
dates back to the 1820's Georgian era. It originates from England.