---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who wants to keep his garden tidy…"
description: "\"He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds.\" — Dag Hammarskjold"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png"
---

#  He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a…

![“He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds.” quote by Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png)

> “He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds.”

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Neglecting to plan for problems leads to disorder; proactive maintenance prevents weeds.

**In simple terms:** Ignoring problems invites trouble.

Key Takeaway

Plan for challenges before they arise.

Themes

maintenance prevention order

Mood

thoughtful pragmatic

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- gardening
- project management
- personal habits

Key Concepts

systems thinking risk management

Questions to Reflect On

- What “could you have prepared for?
- How do you balance control and flexibility?

A Different Perspective

Over‑planning can stifle spontaneity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Garden Tidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden-tidy-3796347/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Plot Weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot-weeds-4488844/) [Reserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reserves/) [Tidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tidy/) [Tidy Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tidy-doesn-4488843/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wants Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-garden-1316188/) [Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weed/) [Weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weeds/)

## Related quotes

> [“I wouldn't want to make it look like a gardener's garden, all clipped an' spick an' span, would you?" he said. "It's nicer like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/i-wouldn-t-want-to-make-it-look-like-a-gardener-s-garden-all-clipped/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [One does not begin to make a garden until he wants a garden. To want a garden is to be interested in plants, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/one-does-not-begin-to-make-a-garden-until-he-wants-a-garden-to-want-a/)

[Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/)

> [“ Results and Roses The man who wants a garden fair, or small or very big, With flowers growing here and there, Must bend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/results-and-roses-the-man-who-wants-a-garden-fair-or-small-or-very/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In primary school you get taught to be a tidy Kiwi and pick up after yourself - that's a given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/in-primary-school-you-get-taught-to-be-a-tidy-kiwi-and-pick-up-after/)

[Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/)

> [When you're juggling children, a marriage and a couple of jobs, something has to give - and, for me, it's living in a perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-garraway/when-you-re-juggling-children-a-marriage-and-a-couple-of-jobs/)

[Kate Garraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-garraway/)

> [Military operations cannot be tidy or free of friction - particularly in a coalition whose contributing nations see the campaign through national prisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/military-operations-cannot-be-tidy-or-free-of-friction-particularly/)

[Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/)

> [I recommend tidying by category, not by place. For example, instead of deciding that today you'll tidy a particular room, set goals such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/i-recommend-tidying-by-category-not-by-place-for-example-instead-of/)

[Marie Kondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/)

> [Stand alone books are nice because they have everything all in one tidy little package. Neverwhere was awesome because you get action, adventure, character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/stand-alone-books-are-nice-because-they-have-everything-all-in-one/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [Tidiness is a virtue, symmetry is often a constituent of beauty...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/tidiness-is-a-virtue-symmetry-is-often-a-constituent-of-beauty/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/be-careless-in-your-dress-if-you-must-but-keep-a-tidy-soul/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“Let the grass die. I let almost all of my indoor plants die from neglect while I was writing the book. There are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/let-the-grass-die-i-let-almost-all-of-my-indoor-plants-die-from/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [“the real world is never particularly tidy when it reaches yours hands. Just work with what you’ve got, and make it a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-tam/the-real-world-is-never-particularly-tidy-when-it-reaches-yours-hands/)

[Kenneth Tam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-tam/)

> [I'd like to tidy up the entire planet. I would go anywhere if there were something that needs tidying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/i-d-like-to-tidy-up-the-entire-planet-i-would-go-anywhere-if-there/)

[Marie Kondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/)

> [“If you tidy your house all at once, you’ll rebound. It’s better to make it a habit to do a little at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/if-you-tidy-your-house-all-at-once-you-ll-rebound-it-s-better-to-make/)

[Marie Kondō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/)

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

## More by Dag Hammarskjold

> [“Didst thou give me this inescapable loneliness so that it would be easier for me to give thee all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/didst-thou-give-me-this-inescapable-loneliness-so-that-it-would-be/)

[Dag Hammarskjöld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [Beneath the hush a whisper from long ago, promising peace of mind and a burden shared. No peace which is not peace for all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/beneath-the-hush-a-whisper-from-long-ago-promising-peace-of-mind-and/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [For the sacrificed, in the hour of sacrifice, only one thing counts: faith-alone among enemies and skeptics. Faith, in spite of the humiliation which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/for-the-sacrificed-in-the-hour-of-sacrifice-only-one-thing-counts/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [Friendship needs no words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/friendship-needs-no-words/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [If even dying is to be made a social function, then, grant me the favor of sneaking out on tiptoe without disturbing the party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/if-even-dying-is-to-be-made-a-social-function-then-grant-me-the-favor/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [Your position never gives you the right to command. It only imposes on you the duty of so living your life that others can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/your-position-never-gives-you-the-right-to-command-it-only-imposes-on/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [I have only my own burden to bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/i-have-only-my-own-burden-to-bear/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [Life yields only to the conqueror. Never accept whatcan be gained by giving in. You will be living off stolen goods, and your muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/life-yields-only-to-the-conqueror-never-accept-whatcan-be-gained-by/)

[Dag Hammarskjöld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [I never discuss discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/i-never-discuss-discussions/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/we-all-have-within-us-a-center-of-stillness-surrounded-by-silence/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [There is a point at which everything becomes simple and there is no longer any question of choice, because all you have staked will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/there-is-a-point-at-which-everything-becomes-simple-and-there-is-no/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/god-does-not-die-on-the-day-when-we-cease-to-believe-in-a-personal/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [The concept of loyalty is distorted when it is understood to mean blind acceptance. It is correctly interpreted when it is assumed to cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/the-concept-of-loyalty-is-distorted-when-it-is-understood-to-mean/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [Those who invoke history will certainly be heard by history. And they will have to accept its verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/those-who-invoke-history-will-certainly-be-heard-by-history-and-they/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

> [Your body must become familiar with its death - in all its possible forms and degrees - as a self-evident, imminent, and emotionally neutral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/your-body-must-become-familiar-with-its-death-in-all-its-possible/)

[Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

[Explore all 155 Dag Hammarskjold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/)

## More Flower quotes

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shearin/most-girls-get-flowers-or-candy-i-get-a-declaration-of-martial-law/)

[Lisa Shearin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shearin/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/)

[Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/)

> [Sometimes, sometimes it is really difficult to turn and walk away from someone you have loved and cherished for so long. You know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/sometimes-sometimes-it-is-really-difficult-to-turn-and-walk-away-from/)

[David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/)

[Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/)

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/)

[Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/)

> [“But any picture could deal with the problem of light. The problem with this picture is greater than that of reflective surfaces - it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-otto/but-any-picture-could-deal-with-the-problem-of-light-the-problem-with/)

[Whitney Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-otto/)

> [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/)

[anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

[Browse all 12,347 Flower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dag Hammarskjold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doesn-t-reserve-a-plot-for-weeds/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Flower"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doesn-t-reserve-a-plot-for-weeds/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/dag-hammarskj-ld-2606_flower_he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doe_2957705.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds.” — Dag Hammarskjold",
                "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": "Dag Hammarskjold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He who wants to keep his...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doesn-t-reserve-a-plot-for-weeds/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/he-who-wants-to-keep-his-garden-tidy-doesn-t-reserve-a-plot-for-weeds/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
