We have much studied and much perfected, of late, the great civilized invention of the division of labour; only we give it a false name. It is not, truly speaking; the labour that is divided; but the men:—Divided into mere segments of men—broken into small fragments and crumbs of life; so that all the little piece of intelligence that is left in a man is not enough to make a pin, or a nail, but exhausts itself in making the point of a pin or the head of a nail.
Where these words come from
- 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
- The Stones of Venice, “The Nature of Gothic” (1853); Exact wording and attribution checked. Critique of industrial labour and exact mechanical finish, in a discussion of craftsmanship.
- The Stones of Venice, “The Nature of Gothic” (1853)
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John RuskinPolitical economy means, in plain English, nothing more than "citizens' economy"; and its first principles ought, therefore, to be understood by all who mean to take the responsibility of citizens, as those of household economy by all who take the responsibility of householders.John RuskinAnd a nation's labour, well applied, is in like manner, amply sufficient to provide its whole population with good food and comfortable habitation; and not with those only, but with good education besides, and objects of luxury, art treasures, such as these you have around you now.John RuskinWhatever rebuke you would address to the improvident master of an ill-managed patrimony, precisely that rebuke we should address to ourselves, so far as we leave our population in idleness and our country in disorder.John RuskinThe principles which are right in the administration of a few fields, are right also in the administration of a great country from horizon to horizon: idleness does not cease to be ruinous because it is extensive, nor labour to be productive because it is universal.John RuskinI believe that the masses have a right to claim education from their government; but only so far as they acknowledge the duty of yielding obedience to their government.John Ruskin
John RuskinPolitical economy means, in plain English, nothing more than "citizens' economy"; and its first principles ought, therefore, to be understood by all who mean to take the responsibility of citizens, as those of household economy by all who take the responsibility of householders.John RuskinAnd a nation's labour, well applied, is in like manner, amply sufficient to provide its whole population with good food and comfortable habitation; and not with those only, but with good education besides, and objects of luxury, art treasures, such as these you have around you now.John RuskinWhatever rebuke you would address to the improvident master of an ill-managed patrimony, precisely that rebuke we should address to ourselves, so far as we leave our population in idleness and our country in disorder.John RuskinThe principles which are right in the administration of a few fields, are right also in the administration of a great country from horizon to horizon: idleness does not cease to be ruinous because it is extensive, nor labour to be productive because it is universal.John RuskinI believe that the masses have a right to claim education from their government; but only so far as they acknowledge the duty of yielding obedience to their government.John RuskinMore inspiration
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