Progressive societies outgrow institutions as children outgrow clothes.
Henry GeorgeRead
Everybody works but the vacant lot
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights that everyone is busy with their tasks, yet the neglected spaces in society suffer from lack of attention and care.
Henry George's quote, 'Everybody works but the vacant lot,' suggests that while individuals are engaged in their daily labor, there are areas, metaphorically represented by the 'vacant lot,' that are overlooked and neglected. This reflects a broader commentary on the human tendency to focus on productivity at the expense of addressing societal issues or fostering community development, emphasizing that work alone does not equate to progress if some spaces are left abandoned.
Themes
SocietyNeglectWorkCommunityResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting discussing local development, one might say, 'As Henry George said, everybody works but the vacant lot, so we must not forget the spaces that need our attention.'
More from Henry George
All quotes →The march of invention has clothed mankind with powers of which a century ago the boldest imagination could not have dreamt.
Henry GeorgeRead
It is not the business of government to make men virtuous or religious, or to preserve the fool from the consequences of his own folly. Government should be repressive no further than is necessary to secure liberty by protecting the equal rights of each from aggression on the part of others, and the moment governmental prohibitions extend beyond this line they are in danger of defeating the very ends they are intended to serve.
Henry GeorgeRead
Poorly paid labor is inefficient labor, the world over.
Henry GeorgeRead
The protection of the masses has in all times been the pretense of tyranny - the plea of monarchy, of aristocracy, of special privilege of every kind. The slave owners justified slavery as protecting the slaves.
Henry GeorgeRead
So long as all the increased wealth which modern progress brings goes but to build up great fortunes, to increase luxury and make sharper the contrast between the House of Have and the House of Want, progress is not real and cannot be permanent.
Henry GeorgeRead
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