I finally understood that if you stretch them in a line, you could start at the smallest step, and step gradually higher as you go. You would end up at the top. They weren't step stools, where you take a single step up and then you were there. No. They were stepping-stools. A process was implied. One thing leads to another... You start with the next step, however small. It reminds me of the old saying, "How does one go about eating an elephant?" Answer: One bite at a time.