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Labor rids us of three great evils; tediousness, vice, and poverty.
John Ruskin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Labor is essential for overcoming boredom, immoral behavior, and financial struggles.

In this quote, John Ruskin suggests that engaging in meaningful work not only alleviates the monotony of life but also serves as a moral anchor, steering individuals away from vice, and providing a pathway out of poverty. By laboring, people can find purpose, build character, and improve their economic circumstances, highlighting the transformative power of work.

Themes

LaborWorkPovertyViceEvilsTediousness

In practice

Example use cases

During a motivational speech on the importance of hard work, this quote could inspire students.

More from John Ruskin

Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
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In health of mind and body, men should see with their own eyes, hear and speak without trumpets, walk on their feet, not on wheels, and work and war with their arms, not with engine-beams, nor rifles warranted to kill twenty men at a shot before you can see them.
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You talk of the scythe of Time, and the tooth of Time: I tell you, Time is scytheless and toothless; it is we who gnaw like the worm - we who smite like the scythe. It is ourselves who abolish - ourselves who consume: we are the mildew, and the flame.
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To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered.
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See that your children be taught, not only the labors of the earth, but the loveliness of it.
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A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.
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I love working if it's with people who are capable of having a good time. People with a little bit of enjoyment of what they do. If it's enormous pressure, and people feel that their lives are at stake, then it's agony. So I try to pick projects where I feel like I'm going to avoid those traps.
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