"A journey of a thousand miles does not accumulate small steps" means: Accumulate a little to make a lot, and persevere.

"A ship of thousands of miles is formed by a compass" means: Great achievements must start from the right direction (goal).

Extended information:

Therefore, if you don’t accumulate small steps, you can’t reach a thousand miles; if you don’t accumulate small streams, you can’t become a river or sea.

Without the accumulation of one and a half steps, there is no way to reach a place thousands of miles away; without the accumulation of small rivers, there is no way to merge into a river and a sea.

It is a metaphor for the role of accumulation, which can enrich, enrich and perfect oneself. It can be used to argue that the value of learning work lies in continuous accumulation.

Reference material: Don’t make small steps—Baidu Encyclopedia