Thomas Jefferson's 'Determine Never To Be Idle'

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Thomas Jefferson wrote, ''Determine never to be idle...It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” In this quote Jefferson perfectly sums up life. Life and time should not be wasted by inactivity but instead should be spent with/on productivity. The purpose of life is to live and to be industrious. By constantly being active a person can accomplish many tasks and possibly goals. Being industrious and productive leads to performing well in life. Life has a time limit and therefore one should not waste it by being idle or unproductive. Time is a constant, but personal productivity is not. One of Jefferson’s virtues describes being industrious in which he further explains that no time should be lost, a person should be well employed, and all unnecessary actions should be cut off. …show more content…

Therefore, one should not waste their time on idleness and inactiveness, but instead with productivity and industriousness. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “Work while it is called today, for you know not how much you will be hindered tomorrow. One today is worth two tomorrow's; never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” This quote by Jefferson signifies that each day is of value and that no day should be wasted. He is trying to help people understand that at any moment their life could end and they would not be able to make up the lost time. Hence, a person should live day by day because any day might be their last. When a person is older, they want to look back on what they accomplished and not on what they could have accomplished. People do not want to look back to the past and regret that they did not take the time to pursue an opportunity. They want to look back on the things they did and be proud to tell about the things they achieved. One should spend their day living, at all times. It is important to live in the present and not in the future. For today is a sure thing, but tomorrow might never