--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The least urgent souls on earth with a…" description: "\"“The least urgent souls on earth with a thousand obstacles and superstitions to interfere with the accomplishment of work.”\" — Colin Cotterill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg" --- # The least urgent souls on earth with a thousand obstacles… ![“The least urgent souls on earth with a thousand obstacles and superstitions to interfere with the accomplishment of work.” quote by Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg) > ““The least urgent souls on earth with a thousand obstacles and superstitions to interfere with the accomplishment of work.”” [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even the most diligent people are hindered by countless trivial obstacles and superstitions that impede work. **In simple terms:** Minor distractions and beliefs block productivity. Key Takeaway Eliminate trivial obstacles. Themes productivity obstacles superstition focus Mood analytical pragmatic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - office work - study sessions - project planning Key Concepts Behavioral economics cognitive bias time management Questions to Reflect On - Which superstition holds you back? - How can you streamline tasks? A Different Perspective Overcoming mental clutter can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Interfere Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interfere-accomplishment-1632626/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Obstacles Superstitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles-superstitions-1632623/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Superstitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitions/) [Superstitions Interfere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitions-interfere-1632624/) [Thousand Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-obstacles-1632625/) ## Related quotes > [Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-seem-almost-to-create-themselves-springing-up-under-every/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-boy-who-is-going-to-make-a-great-man-must-not-make-up-his-mind/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [I make this chief distinction between religion and superstition, that the latter is founded on ignorance, the former on knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/i-make-this-chief-distinction-between-religion-and-superstition-that/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Management means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folkways and superstition, and of cooperation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/management-means-in-the-last-analysis-the-substitution-of-thought-for/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [The Puritans came to America to worship in their way and to force everybody else to do the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/the-puritans-came-to-america-to-worship-in-their-way-and-to-force/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [“In spite of being complicated people choose superstitions over common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-spite-of-being-complicated-people-choose-superstitions-over-common/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I actually rid myself of superstitions, but I do a quick 20-minute meditation before games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christen-press/i-actually-rid-myself-of-superstitions-but-i-do-a-quick-20-minute/) [Christen Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christen-press/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > ["Natural" is a very dangerous word to use about sexuality ... Our society's notions of normality are completely fake and meta-trendy, since they rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/natural-is-a-very-dangerous-word-to-use-about-sexuality-our-society-s/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More by Colin Cotterill > [Honesty can be a dirty gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/honesty-can-be-a-dirty-gift/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“Siri let out a silent puff of air. If he’d had a wife like this he would certainly have shot her long ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/siri-let-out-a-silent-puff-of-air-if-he-d-had-a-wife-like-this-he/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“May I ask how your revolution's going? Revolutions always go more smoothly around a campfire in the jungle than they do in real life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/may-i-ask-how-your-revolution-s-going-revolutions-always-go-more/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“All right, here comes the philosophy. You can leave if you like but I suggest you stick it out. You don’t measure your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/all-right-here-comes-the-philosophy-you-can-leave-if-you-like-but-i/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“The woman’s brain has two hemispheres,” she slurred. “One for loving, one for hating. They can operate quite competently at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/the-woman-s-brain-has-two-hemispheres-she-slurred-one-for-loving-one/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“I’m sure he doesn’t see it as aimless. We all have different goals. His are achievable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/i-m-sure-he-doesn-t-see-it-as-aimless-we-all-have-different-goals-his/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“More panic. More emergencies and disasters. Soon, emergencies fell into a sort of natural ranking: drop-everything emergencies, do-what-you-can emergencies, and you’ll just-have-to-wait emergencies. Disasters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/more-panic-more-emergencies-and-disasters-soon-emergencies-fell-into/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“Encounters with the living always drained him more than those with the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/encounters-with-the-living-always-drained-him-more-than-those-with/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“A good communist,” the man had said, “does not let go of the plough halfway across the paddy and leave the buffalo to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/a-good-communist-the-man-had-said-does-not-let-go-of-the-plough/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“I dreamed the world was an awful place,” he said. “It wasn’t a dream,” she told him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/i-dreamed-the-world-was-an-awful-place-he-said-it-wasn-t-a-dream-she/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“Dipping a cockroach in ink and having it scamper around the page would have left more legible traces to the average reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/dipping-a-cockroach-in-ink-and-having-it-scamper-around-the-page/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [He put his hand on his forehead and scoured the French department of his memory for a word. He knew it was in there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/he-put-his-hand-on-his-forehead-and-scoured-the-french-department-of/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“You know, if this country just allowed a couple of hours between meetings, we might actually have time to achieve something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/you-know-if-this-country-just-allowed-a-couple-of-hours-between/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“Forget the planet, save the garden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/forget-the-planet-save-the-garden/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) > [“So, there it was in a nutshell. Poverty led him to religion, religion to education, education to lust, lust to communism. And Communism had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/so-there-it-was-in-a-nutshell-poverty-led-him-to-religion-religion-to/) [Colin Cotterill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) [Explore all 30 Colin Cotterill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) [James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/) > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) [S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The least urgent souls on earth with a thousand obstacles and superstitions to interfere with the accomplishment of work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colin Cotterill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-thousand-obstacles-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adversity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-thousand-obstacles-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa9/colin-cotterill-20894_adversity_the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-t_1754182.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The least urgent souls on earth with a thousand obstacles and superstitions to interfere with the…” — Colin Cotterill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Colin Cotterill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cotterill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The least urgent souls on earth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-thousand-obstacles-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cotterill/the-least-urgent-souls-on-earth-with-a-thousand-obstacles-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```