--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I go on working for the same reason that…" description: "\"I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.\" — H. L. Mencken" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png" --- # I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on… ![“I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png) > “I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.” [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares relentless work to a hen's instinctual egg-laying, implying duty drives effort. **In simple terms:** Work continues like a hen laying eggs. Key Takeaway Accept duty as natural drive. Themes work duty instinct Mood reflective pragmatic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career - creative pursuits - family responsibilities - habit formation Key Concepts existentialism motivation Questions to Reflect On - What drives your daily tasks? - How do you balance duty and rest? A Different Perspective May ignore burnout risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eggs/) [Grind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grind/) [Hen Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hen-goes-3915123/) [Laying Eggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laying-eggs-1298987/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Hen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-hen-3915122/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Working Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-reason-3915124/) ## Related quotes > [Gentleness doesn't get work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/gentleness-doesn-t-get-work-done-unless-you-happen-to-be-a-hen-laying/) [Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/) > [At exhibition openings always praise the chicken for laying eggs; you can wring its neck later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-jay/at-exhibition-openings-always-praise-the-chicken-for-laying-eggs-you/) [Bill Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-jay/) > [Is it gonna confuse the kids if they find an egg inside of an egg? idk still about as confusing as the ester bunny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-real-dre/is-it-gonna-confuse-the-kids-if-they-find-an-egg-inside-of-an-egg-idk/) [The Real Dre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-real-dre/) > [There is no logical connection between flying and laying eggs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/there-is-no-logical-connection-between-flying-and-laying-eggs/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Why writers write I do not know. As well ask why a hen lays an egg or why a cow stands patiently while an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/why-writers-write-i-do-not-know-as-well-ask-why-a-hen-lays-an-egg-or/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Everybody was in struggle, in the grind trying to make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-buck/everybody-was-in-struggle-in-the-grind-trying-to-make-it/) [Young Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-buck/) > [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [What's best for me is just to work when I feel like working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrbeast/what-s-best-for-me-is-just-to-work-when-i-feel-like-working/) [MrBeast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrbeast/) > [You have to stay focused and be mentally tough. That's what I've really learned: every day is a grind, and you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gronkowski/you-have-to-stay-focused-and-be-mentally-tough-that-s-what-i-ve/) [Chris Gronkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gronkowski/) > [“My job defines me, amuses me, thrills me and makes me feel like I am making a difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-primm/my-job-defines-me-amuses-me-thrills-me-and-makes-me-feel-like-i-am/) [Kathryn Primm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-primm/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) ## More by H. L. Mencken > [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [A bad artist almost always tries to conceal his incompetence by whooping up a new formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-bad-artist-almost-always-tries-to-conceal-his-incompetence-by/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [So few men are really worth knowing, that it seems a shameful waste to let an anthropoid prejudice stand in the way of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/so-few-men-are-really-worth-knowing-that-it-seems-a-shameful-waste-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Man's objection to love is that it dies hard; woman's, that when it is dead, it stays dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/man-s-objection-to-love-is-that-it-dies-hard-woman-s-that-when-it-is/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The lunatic fringe wags the underdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-lunatic-fringe-wags-the-underdog/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Women have simple tastes. They get pleasure out of the conversation of children in arms and men in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/women-have-simple-tastes-they-get-pleasure-out-of-the-conversation-of/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The critic, to interpret his artist, even to understand his artist, must be able to get into the mind of his artist; he must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-critic-to-interpret-his-artist-even-to-understand-his-artist-must/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get. On the contrary, they tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-is-in-fact-nothing-about-religious-opinions-that-entitles-them/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Don't overestimate the decency of the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/don-t-overestimate-the-decency-of-the-human-race/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Liberty ... was a two-headed boon. There was first, the liberty of the people as a whole to determine the forms of their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/liberty-was-a-two-headed-boon-there-was-first-the-liberty-of-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [To the extent that I am genuinely educated, I am suspicious of all the things that the average citizen believes and the average pedagogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/to-the-extent-that-i-am-genuinely-educated-i-am-suspicious-of-all-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Philosophy first constructs a scheme of happiness and then tries to fit the world to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/philosophy-first-constructs-a-scheme-of-happiness-and-then-tries-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [For it is the natural tendency of the ignorant to believe what is not true. In order to overcome that tendency it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-the-natural-tendency-of-the-ignorant-to-believe-what-is-not/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) [Explore all 827 H. L. Mencken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More Eggs quotes > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) > [Most people put money in their piggy bank. I buy a goose that lays golden eggs over and over again. That's what an asset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/most-people-put-money-in-their-piggy-bank-i-buy-a-goose-that-lays/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Even though I'm already successful and have a career, it is always good to have your eggs in more than one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/even-though-i-m-already-successful-and-have-a-career-it-is-always/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) > [The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-bird-fights-its-way-out-of-the-egg-the-egg-is-the-world-who-would/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [What is opportunity to the man who can't use it? An unfecundated egg, which the waves of time wash away into nonentity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-can-t-use-it-an-unfecundated-egg/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We couldn't afford plastic Easter eggs as a kid, so we dyed the real ones. After a few weeks, you kinda get used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-munn/we-couldn-t-afford-plastic-easter-eggs-as-a-kid-so-we-dyed-the-real/) [Olivia Munn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-munn/) > [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Chances are that any helpful two-year-old will break some eggs. We are often not very good at things when we are new. But there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/chances-are-that-any-helpful-two-year-old-will-break-some-eggs-we-are/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [Frying gives cooks numerous ways of concealing what appeared the day before and in a pinch facilitates sudden demands, for it takes little more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/frying-gives-cooks-numerous-ways-of-concealing-what-appeared-the-day/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/what-every-human-being-should-do-is-eat-a-vegetarian-diet-based-on/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [I saw the young man over there with eggs Benedict, with hollandaise sauce. And I was going to suggest to you that you serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-saw-the-young-man-over-there-with-eggs-benedict-with-hollandaise/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I skip breakfast a lot - often, it's just a litre of coffee with oat milk - and I eat lots of protein at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dent/i-skip-breakfast-a-lot-often-it-s-just-a-litre-of-coffee-with-oat/) [Grace Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dent/) > [“(Israeli-style eggs poached in tomato”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-b/israeli-style-eggs-poached-in-tomato/) [Brian B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-b/) [Browse all 1,309 Eggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eggs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. L. Mencken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that-a-hen-goes-on-laying-eggs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eggs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that-a-hen-goes-on-laying-eggs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/804/h-l-mencken-245_eggs_i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that_447779.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.” — H. L. Mencken", "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": "H. L. Mencken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I go on working for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that-a-hen-goes-on-laying-eggs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-go-on-working-for-the-same-reason-that-a-hen-goes-on-laying-eggs/#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 } } ] } ```