Ox Cart Quote by Donald Hall
““Ox Cart Man In October of the year, he counts potatoes dug from the brown field, counting the seed, counting the cellar's portion out, and bags the rest on the cart's floor. He packs wool sheared in April, honey in combs, linen, leather tanned from deerhide, and vinegar in a barrel hoped by hand at the forge's fire. He walks by his ox's head, ten days to Portsmouth Market, and sells potatoes, and the bag that carried potatoes, flaxseed, birch brooms, maple sugar, goose feathers, yarn. When the cart is empty he sells the cart. When the cart is sold he sells the ox, harness and yoke, and walks home, his pockets heavy with the year's coin for salt and taxes, and at home by fire's light in November cold stitches new harness for next year's ox in the barn, and carves the yoke, and saws planks building the cart again.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “Ox Cart Man” by Donald Hall, 1976
A farmer cycles through the year, selling everything he owns, then rebuilding for the next cycle, illustrating relentless labor and renewal
In simple terms: Hard work and constant reinvention define a farmer’s life
Key Takeaway
Embrace cyclical effort and renewal
Themes
labor
economy
sustainability
resilience
tradition
Mood
determined
reflective
Type
narrative
folk
When to use this quote
- harvest planning
- market sales
- equipment repair
- seasonal budgeting
- crafting tools
Key Concepts
agrarian cycles
resourcefulness
self‑sufficiency
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you prepare for inevitable resource depletion?
- What cycles in your work demand renewal?
A Different Perspective
Limited by physical endurance and market volatility
![“The ox longs for the gaudy trappings of the horse; the lazy pack-horse would fain plough. [We envy the position of others, dissatisfied with our own.]” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d8f/horace-172_dissatisfied_the-ox-longs-for-the-gaudy-trappings-of_2544555.jpg)
