Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.
Samuel ButlerRead
Work with some men is as besetting a sin as idleness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Working with the wrong people can be just as detrimental as being idle.
This quote by Samuel Butler emphasizes the notion that the quality of collaboration is vital; engaging with individuals who do not inspire or contribute positively can hinder progress, much like laziness or idleness can. It highlights the importance of choosing the right company to avoid detrimental outcomes in work and life.
Themes
WorkIdlenessCollaborationQualityInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a business meeting about team dynamics, you might quote this to stress the importance of team selection.
More from Samuel Butler
All quotes βTo know God better is only to realize how impossible it is that we should ever know him at all. I know not which is more childish to deny him, or define him.
Samuel ButlerRead
Academic and aristocratic people live in such an uncommon atmosphere that common sense can rarely reach them.
Samuel ButlerRead
An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books.
Samuel ButlerRead
Young people have a marvelous faculty of either dying or adapting themselves to circumstances.
Samuel ButlerRead
People care more about being thought to have taste than about being thought either good, clever or amiable.
Samuel ButlerRead
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We are free to choose our actions, . . . but we are not free to choose the consequences of these actions.
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