The real wisdom here isn't about preparation—it's about accepting that the unglamorous work consumes most of your time, and that's perfectly fine. We've all fallen into the trap of feeling like we're "not yet doing the real work" while we're learning software, reading manuals, or having conversations with colleagues, when in fact that *is* the work. Lincoln reminds us that a surgeon spends far longer sterilizing instruments and reviewing scans than making the actual incision, and this imbalance reflects good judgment, not wasted effort. The quote's power lies in its permission to stop feeling restless during the setup phase.