Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.
Alone-- it is wonderful how little a man can do alone! To rob a little, to hurt a little, and there is the end.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the limitations of individual actions, emphasizing that alone, a person's impact can be minimal, often resulting in negative behaviors.
H. G. Wells points out the shortcomings of solitary existence and how it can lead to a life of unfulfilling actions. When a person operates alone, they may feel empowered to take small negative actions, but they ultimately contribute little to the greater good and fail to achieve meaningful success. The quote implies that collaboration and community are essential for making a significant impact in the world.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about teamwork in the workplace, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of collaboration.
More from H. G. Wells
All quotes →He spares no resource in telling of his dead inventions... Bare verbs he rarely tolerates. He splits infinitives and fills them up with adverbial stuffing. He presses the passing colloquialism into his service. His vast paragraphis sweat and struggle; the
It [a new world order] needs only that the governments of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, and Russia should get together in order to set up an effective control of currency, credit, production, and distribution – that is to say, an effective ‘dictatorship of prosperity,’ for the whole world. The other sixty odd States would have to join in or accommodate themselves to the over-ruling decisions of these major Powers.
Things that would have made fame of a less clever man seemed tricks in his hands. It is a mistake to do things too easily.
But I was too restless to watch long; I'm too Occidental for a long vigil. I could work at a problem for years, but to wait inactive for twenty-four hours - that's another matter.
The greatest task of democracy, its ritual and feast - is choice.
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A fault is fostered by concealment.
I know now that what makes a fool is an inability to take even his own good advice.
Self-confidence without self-reliance is as useless as a cooking recipe without food. Self-confidence sees the possibilities of the individual; self-reliance realizes them. Self-confidence sees the angel in the unhewn block of marble; self-reliance carves it out for oneself.
The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.
We have the power to do any damn fool thing we want to do, and we seem to do it about every ten minutes.
I've never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It's probably because they have forgotten their own.