It's such a Russian, or at least Slavic in general, saying, and it's so charming, I should think you'd want to translate it, rather than find a (not too close) English equivalent. That is, if you're really titling or beginning a story, as opposed to making a remark about something being "easier said than done." If you search for "tale told * deed done," here are a couple of possibilities.

The tale is sooner told than the deed is done
A tale is soon told, but a deed is not soon done
A tale is soon told, a deed is done slowly