--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered…" description: "\"“An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.”\" — Joseph Addison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png" --- # An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer. ![“An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png) > ““An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.”” [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tidy desk often masks a chaotic drawer, indicating hidden disorder despite outward order. **In simple terms:** Clean desk hides messy drawer. Key Takeaway Organize both visible and hidden spaces. Themes order appearance hidden chaos Mood motivational thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - office work - home organization - project planning Key Concepts organizational behavior psychology Questions to Reflect On - What hidden clutter might you be ignoring? - How does visible order affect your mindset? A Different Perspective Surface order can be deceptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cluttered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cluttered/) [Cluttered Desk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cluttered-desk-509554/) [Desk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk/) [Desk Drawer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk-drawer-476674/) [Desk Sign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk-sign-2288587/) ## Related quotes > [Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether. A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer. All you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/never-put-off-until-tomorrow-what-you-can-avoid-altogether-a-clean/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-clean-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-desk-drawer/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If a cluttered desk is sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk a sign of?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-a-cluttered-desk-is-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind-what-is-an-empty-desk/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brady/cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind/) [Erin Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brady/) > ['If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then is an empty desk a sign OF!' Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/if-a-cluttered-desk-is-the-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind-of-what-then-is/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind-of-what-then-is-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yet a cluttered desk piled high with papers could stand for quite a few things: inner disorder, fear of meeting one’s obligations, accepting too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/yet-a-cluttered-desk-piled-high-with-papers-could-stand-for-quite-a/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/if-a-cluttered-desk-is-the-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind-what-is-the/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [If your desk isn't cluttered, you probably aren't doing your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-desk-isn-t-cluttered-you-probably-aren-t-doing-your-job/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-murphy/a-clean-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind/) [C.E. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-murphy/) > [“thinks he either kept it in his desk drawer at work or in the glove compartment of his car.” Odessa”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/thinks-he-either-kept-it-in-his-desk-drawer-at-work-or-in-the-glove/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [My desk drawer is filled with all kinds of prayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/my-desk-drawer-is-filled-with-all-kinds-of-prayers/) [Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/) > [If a cluttered desk reflects a cluttered mind, what then an empty desk?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-a-cluttered-desk-reflects-a-cluttered-mind-what-then-an-empty-desk/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“The day we decide to drop the flimsy makeshift scenarios in our cluttered mind and eschew the ‘alleluias’ of self-importance, life can become genuine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-day-we-decide-to-drop-the-flimsy-makeshift-scenarios-in-our/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## More by Joseph Addison > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-are-always-doing-something-for-posterity-but-i-would-fain-see/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [When love once pleads admission to our hearts, In spite of all the virtue we can boast, The woman that deliberates is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/when-love-once-pleads-admission-to-our-hearts-in-spite-of-all-the/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Many actions calculated to procure fame are not conducive to ultimate happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/many-actions-calculated-to-procure-fame-are-not-conducive-to-ultimate/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [T is liberty crowns Britannia's Isle, And makes her barren rocks and her bleak mountains smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/t-is-liberty-crowns-britannia-s-isle-and-makes-her-barren-rocks-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The moral perfections of the Deity, the more attentively, we consider, the more perfectly still shall we know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-moral-perfections-of-the-deity-the-more-attentively-we-consider/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The utmost we can hope for in this world is contentment; if we aim at anything higher, we shall meet with nothing but grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-utmost-we-can-hope-for-in-this-world-is-contentment-if-we-aim-at/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/courage-that-grows-from-constitution-often-forsakes-a-man-when-he-has/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-most-skillful-flattery-is-to-let-a-person-talk-on-and-be-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) [Explore all 620 Joseph Addison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## More Cluttered quotes > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“The day we decide to drop the flimsy makeshift scenarios in our cluttered mind and eschew the ‘alleluias’ of self-importance, life can become genuine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-day-we-decide-to-drop-the-flimsy-makeshift-scenarios-in-our/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [As technology has improved, our digital lives have only grown more tangled and cluttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/as-technology-has-improved-our-digital-lives-have-only-grown-more/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [I think I'm caught up in playing in New York. Here, my mind is cluttered worrying about things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-johnson/i-think-i-m-caught-up-in-playing-in-new-york-here-my-mind-is/) [Larry Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-johnson/) > [I have a notion that if you are going to be spiritually curious, you better not get cluttered up with too many material things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-have-a-notion-that-if-you-are-going-to-be-spiritually-curious-you/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“I decided to break the trend of accumulating stuff sooner rather than later. I moved to smaller homes ahead of my need. I downsized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-j-shultz/i-decided-to-break-the-trend-of-accumulating-stuff-sooner-rather-than/) [Lisa J. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-j-shultz/) > [No special writing rituals. And my desk is usually cluttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/no-special-writing-rituals-and-my-desk-is-usually-cluttered/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [It's a global fashion thing; because of the Internet it has gotten really small. It's cluttered, but it's gotten small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/it-s-a-global-fashion-thing-because-of-the-internet-it-has-gotten/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [It's just a spare room in my apartment. It's very cluttered and not particularly aesthetically inspiring, and it's very un-noise-proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kent/it-s-just-a-spare-room-in-my-apartment-it-s-very-cluttered-and-not/) [Julia Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kent/) > [There is no such thing as information overload, just bad design. If something is cluttered and/or confusing, fix your design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/there-is-no-such-thing-as-information-overload-just-bad-design-if/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [“Comes the tipping point in life, when we decide to a ‘stop and search’ and our emotional police bring us to a standstill. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/comes-the-tipping-point-in-life-when-we-decide-to-a-stop-and-search/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brady/cluttered-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-mind/) [Erin Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brady/) > [“When life gets too cluttered, we neglect the important things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-barnes/when-life-gets-too-cluttered-we-neglect-the-important-things/) [Emilie Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-barnes/) > [Cluttered closets mean a cluttered mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/cluttered-closets-mean-a-cluttered-mind/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [I usually work in a room which is totally cluttered with my mess, and there's stuff everywhere, and it's kind of chaotic because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-holter/i-usually-work-in-a-room-which-is-totally-cluttered-with-my-mess-and/) [Julia Holter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-holter/) [Browse all 42 Cluttered quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cluttered/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Addison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-desk-drawer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cluttered" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-desk-drawer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/joseph-addison-377_cluttered_an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-d_1941894.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An empty desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.” — Joseph Addison", "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": "Joseph Addison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“An empty desk is a sign...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-desk-drawer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/an-empty-desk-is-a-sign-of-a-cluttered-desk-drawer/#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 } } ] } ```