Sassoon's observation cuts past the tiresome "no shortcuts" platitude by naming something we already know but resist acknowledging: we *want* to believe success might arrive through some back door. The wit of comparing dictionary order to life's actual sequence isn't mere wordplay—it exposes how our minds can organize information (alphabetically) in ways that bear no resemblance to how reality works. Watch a young musician convinced their talent alone will carry them, reluctant to practice scales they find tedious, and you'll see someone living in that dictionary-world rather than the real one, where the hours of repetition come first and the breakthrough follows after.