Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.
H. G. WellsRead
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
AloneImpactCollaborationCommunityActions
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
H. G. WellsRead
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.
H. G. WellsRead
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.
H. G. WellsRead
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.
H. G. WellsRead
The greatest task of democracy, its ritual and feast - is choice.
H. G. WellsRead
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