I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Abraham LincolnRead
Upon this subject, the habits of our whole species fall into three great classes--useful labour, useless labour and idleness. Of these the first only is meritorious; and to it all the products of labour rightfully belong; but the two latter, while they exist, are heavy pensioners upon the first, robbing it of a large portion of it's just rights. The only remedy for this is to, as far as possible, drive useless labour and idleness out of existence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lincoln emphasizes the importance of productive work while criticizing idleness and unproductive labor.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln reflects on human productivity and classifies labor into three categories: useful, useless, and idle. He argues that only useful work is commendable, as it creates value, while useless labor and idleness detract from society by consuming resources without contributing. To improve society, he advocates for minimizing activity that does not yield productive results since it undermines the efforts of those who contribute meaningfully.
Themes
LaborIdlenessProductivityWorkValue
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a discussion about work ethics in a motivational seminar.
More from Abraham Lincoln
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Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
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How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
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For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
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And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.
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