--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can cut down a tree with a hammer…" description: "\"You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The diff..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/jim-rohn-243_axes_you-can-cut-down-a-tree-with-a-hammer-bu_1449556.jpg" --- # You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about… ![“You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The difference between 30 days and 30 minutes is skills.” quote by Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/jim-rohn-243_axes_you-can-cut-down-a-tree-with-a-hammer-bu_1449556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/jim-rohn-243_axes_you-can-cut-down-a-tree-with-a-hammer-bu_1449556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/jim-rohn-243_axes_you-can-cut-down-a-tree-with-a-hammer-bu_1449556.jpg) > “You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The difference between 30 days and 30 minutes is skills.” [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Skill and the right tools dramatically reduce effort and time needed to achieve a task. **In simple terms:** Skills make work faster. Key Takeaway Invest in learning and proper tools. Themes productivity skill efficiency Mood motivational pragmatic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - home improvement - software development - craftsmanship - learning new hobbies Key Concepts tool selection skill development Questions to Reflect On - What skill could you improve to save time? - How does tool choice affect your productivity? A Different Perspective Skills alone don’t guarantee success without practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-success/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Insightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insightful/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Key to success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key-to-success/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Skills development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills-development/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [Practice is just as valuable as a sale. The sale will make you a living; the skill will make you a fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/practice-is-just-as-valuable-as-a-sale-the-sale-will-make-you-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Education must precede motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/education-must-precede-motivation/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [It takes time to build a corporate work of art. It takes time to build a life. And it takes time to develop and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/it-takes-time-to-build-a-corporate-work-of-art-it-takes-time-to-build/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [A paper cut is a tree's last revenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-paper-cut-is-a-tree-s-last-revenge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you cut a tree down make sure you also cut the roots for if not a new tree will come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-akhtar/if-you-cut-a-tree-down-make-sure-you-also-cut-the-roots-for-if-not-a/) Hamza Akhtar > [If i get 8 hours to cut a tree i'll spend 7 hours to sharp my knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-i-get-8-hours-to-cut-a-tree-i-ll-spend-7-hours-to-sharp-my-knife/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Dose anyone want me to cut any tree for them ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself-jeremy-renner/dose-anyone-want-me-to-cut-any-tree-for-them/) Myself Jeremy Renner > [“If you ask me to cut down a tree I'll spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-ask-me-to-cut-down-a-tree-i-ll-spend-the-first-four-hours/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [You can cut a tree down, and it grows back. Once a species goes, it's gone forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shand/you-can-cut-a-tree-down-and-it-grows-back-once-a-species-goes-it-s/) [Mark Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shand/) > [“Abraham Lincoln is reputed to have said that if he had eight hours to cut down a tree, he’d spend several of these hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/abraham-lincoln-is-reputed-to-have-said-that-if-he-had-eight-hours-to/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [It is easy to cut down the tree of liberty, but not so easy to restore it to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toussaint-louverture/it-is-easy-to-cut-down-the-tree-of-liberty-but-not-so-easy-to-restore/) Toussaint Louverture > [Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/never-cut-a-tree-down-in-the-wintertime-never-make-a-negative/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [The world breaks a little bit every time we cut down a tree. It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [If you want to cut down a tree, it is no use to climb into its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/if-you-want-to-cut-down-a-tree-it-is-no-use-to-climb-into-its-branches/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-doherty/the-five-s-s-of-sports-training-are-stamina-speed-strength-skill-and/) [Ken Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-doherty/) ## More by Jim Rohn > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [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/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When a new idea comes our way, we must put it on our mental scales and weigh it carefully before deciding its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/when-a-new-idea-comes-our-way-we-must-put-it-on-our-mental-scales-and/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, I wish someone would come by and turn me on. What if they don't show up?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-best-motivation-is-self-motivation-the-guy-says-i-wish-someone/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Faith is the ability to see things that don't yet exist. Faith, though, can turn difficulty into reality, positive reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/faith-is-the-ability-to-see-things-that-don-t-yet-exist-faith-though/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Service to others leads to greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/service-to-others-leads-to-greatness/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/dreams-are-a-projection-of-the-kind-of-life-you-want-to-lead-dreams/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/without-a-sense-of-urgency-desire-loses-its-value/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The greatest form of maturity is at harvest time. This is when we must learn how to reap without complaint if the amounts are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-greatest-form-of-maturity-is-at-harvest-time-this-is-when-we-must/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Big achievements come one small advantage at a time, one step at a time, one day at time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/big-achievements-come-one-small-advantage-at-a-time-one-step-at-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/excuses-are-the-nails-used-to-build-a-house-of-failure/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-ultimate-reason-for-setting-goals-is-to-entice-you-to-become-the/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) [Explore all 837 Jim Rohn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## More Axes quotes > [It could just be a shift on the axis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cassidy/it-could-just-be-a-shift-on-the-axis/) [Bill Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cassidy/) > [When we are not realized, we are moving on the periphery, like a wheel and we are disturbed. But a realized soul is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/when-we-are-not-realized-we-are-moving-on-the-periphery-like-a-wheel/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [Outside the ring of dancing warriors with spears and axes stood wolves at a respectful distance, watching and waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/outside-the-ring-of-dancing-warriors-with-spears-and-axes-stood/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [The two revolutions, I mean the annual revolutions of the declination and of the centre of the Earth, are not completely equal; that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/the-two-revolutions-i-mean-the-annual-revolutions-of-the-declination/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [A book is not an isolated being: it is a relationship, an axis of innumerable relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-book-is-not-an-isolated-being-it-is-a-relationship-an-axis-of/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [True. There is a beautiful Jesus. He is frozen to his bones like a chunk of beef. How desperately he wanted to pull his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/true-there-is-a-beautiful-jesus-he-is-frozen-to-his-bones-like-a/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [By threatening war against Iran, Iraq and North Korea in his now-famous "Axis of Evil" address, the president painted himself into a corner. Either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/by-threatening-war-against-iran-iraq-and-north-korea-in-his-now/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The world needs people who are more comfortable standing still. We keep the earth on it axis when everybody else is bouncing around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-konigsberg/the-world-needs-people-who-are-more-comfortable-standing-still-we/) [Bill Konigsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-konigsberg/) > [You're different. You're more perfect. Time is three things for most people, but for you, for us, just one. A singularity. One moment. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/you-re-different-you-re-more-perfect-time-is-three-things-for-most/) [Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/) > [Apart altogether from our own vital interests, we cannot and must not desert those other nations who have already gone through so much tragedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stafford-cripps/apart-altogether-from-our-own-vital-interests-we-cannot-and-must-not/) [Stafford Cripps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stafford-cripps/) > [There is no question in my mind that we live in one of the truly bestial centuries in human history. There are plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/there-is-no-question-in-my-mind-that-we-live-in-one-of-the-truly/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [“I fell in love. It felt exactly like a fall, a head-over-heels tumble into a state of unbearable lightness. The earth tilted on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-fell-in-love-it-felt-exactly-like-a-fall-a-head-over-heels-tumble/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [ \[My\] pictures are about memory and forgetfulness. The evidence is dissolving. Bones crumble; human ash returns to soil; teeth, sandals, hair, bullets, axes disperse… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-norfolk/my-pictures-are-about-memory-and-forgetfulness-the-evidence-is/) Simon Norfolk > [ I think it\[3D\] should be used as a new artistic form, not as a gimmick, not to impress you but the existence of an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-think-it-3d-should-be-used-as-a-new-artistic-form-not-as-a-gimmick/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [Certainly one is brought to the brink of one's sense of who one is, what one has to do, why me, why now, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/certainly-one-is-brought-to-the-brink-of-one-s-sense-of-who-one-is/) [Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/) Browse all 150 Axes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. 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