Every night Quote by Christopher Moore
““Does the work get easier once you know what you are doing?" "Your lungs grow thick with stone dust and your eyes bleary from the sun and fragments thrown up by the chisel. You pour your lifeblood out into works of stone for Romans who will take your money in taxes to feed soldiers who will nail your people to crosses for wanting to be free. Your back breaks, your bones creak, your wife screeches at you, and your children torment you with open begging mouths, like greedy baby birds in the nest. You go to bed every night so tired and beaten that you pray to the Lord to send the angel of death to take you in your sleep so you don't have to face another morning. It also has its downside.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, 2002
The quote reflects the brutal, exhausting labor of a stonecutter under oppressive Roman rule, questioning whether mastery eases hardship while highlighting relentless suffering and yearning for death.
In simple terms: Hard work under tyranny feels endless and painful, even with skill.
Key Takeaway
Even mastery cannot erase systemic oppression.
Themes
oppression
labor
existential dread
religion
war
family
Mood
despair
hopelessness
resignation
Type
literary
philosophical
dark humor
When to use this quote
- construction work
- taxation
- military conscription
- family stress
- spiritual crisis
Key Concepts
existentialism
social critique
human suffering
Questions to Reflect On
- Can personal mastery ever truly alleviate systemic suffering?
- What role does hope play in such bleak circumstances?
A Different Perspective
Skill may improve efficiency but cannot change the underlying cruel conditions.
![“How easy it is to work for God when we are filled with His Spirit! His service is so sweet, so delightful; He is not a hard master. People talk about their being overworked and breaking down. It is not so. It is [over-worry] and care that wears people out. Why do so many workers break down? Not…” quote by Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d9d/dwight-l-moody-1085_break_how-easy-it-is-to-work-for-god-when-we-a_2997534.jpg)
