--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today, the average Korean works a…" description: "\"Today, the average Korean works a thousand hours more a year than the average German. A thousand. ... That is the end of the Great Divergence.\" — Niall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/niall-ferguson-3627_average_today-the-average-korean-works-a-thousan_351337.png" --- # Today, the average Korean works a thousand hours more a… ![“Today, the average Korean works a thousand hours more a year than the average German. A thousand. ... That is the end of the Great Divergence.” quote by Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/niall-ferguson-3627_average_today-the-average-korean-works-a-thousan_351337.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/niall-ferguson-3627_average_today-the-average-korean-works-a-thousan_351337.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/niall-ferguson-3627_average_today-the-average-korean-works-a-thousan_351337.png) > “Today, the average Korean works a thousand hours more a year than the average German. A thousand. ... That is the end of the Great Divergence.” [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Korea’s extreme work hours illustrate a widening productivity gap between nations. **In simple terms:** Korea works far longer than Germany, widening economic disparity. Key Takeaway Balance work with well‑being. Themes productivity culture economics worklife Mood concerned analytical Type economic sociopolitical When to use this quote - corporate policy - national labor standards - personal health - family time Key Concepts sociology comparative economics Questions to Reflect On - Can productivity increase without longer hours? - What cultural shifts could reduce overwork? A Different Perspective High hours can harm health and innovation; efficiency matters more than length. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divergence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divergence/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Korean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korean/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [“Pomeranz, K. (2000) The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the making of the modern world economy, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pollard/pomeranz-k-2000-the-great-divergence-china-europe-and-the-making-of/) Jane Pollard > [“To put that number in perspective, if you practiced an activity four hours per day, seven days per week, it would take you about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/to-put-that-number-in-perspective-if-you-practiced-an-activity-four/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“Deep learning still comes from approximately ten thousand hours of work on any given subject.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannu-rajaniemi/deep-learning-still-comes-from-approximately-ten-thousand-hours-of/) [Hannu Rajaniemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannu-rajaniemi/) > [“The whole world will stand still to give you a way to the top if you practice the rule of ten thousand hours. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-whole-world-will-stand-still-to-give-you-a-way-to-the-top-if-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Studies of people with extraordinary abilities, like Ted Williams, have given rise to what Swedish psychologist Dr. K Anders Ericsson called the “10,000 hour”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/studies-of-people-with-extraordinary-abilities-like-ted-williams-have/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [Sometimes, we are given a few minutes to be with the whom we love, and thousand of hours to spend to thinking of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-are-given-a-few-minutes-to-be-with-the-whom-we-love-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have already spent roughly five thousand hours asleep next to you. This has to mean something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-have-already-spent-roughly-five-thousand-hours-asleep-next-to-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/in-fact-researchers-have-settled-on-what-they-believe-is-the-magic/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years... No one has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/ten-thousand-hours-is-equivalent-to-roughly-three-hours-a-day-or-20/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [“Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/well-it-s-roughly-how-long-it-takes-to-put-in-ten-thousand-hours-of/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“A shell screams over the house. He thinks: I only want to sit here with her for a thousand hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/a-shell-screams-over-the-house-he-thinks-i-only-want-to-sit-here-with/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“If you really one to become great, you must practice the rule of ten thousand hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/if-you-really-one-to-become-great-you-must-practice-the-rule-of-ten/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/ten-thousand-hours-is-the-magic-number-of-greatness/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Sometimes, we are only given a few minutes to be with the one we love, and a thousand hours to spend thinking of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-are-only-given-a-few-minutes-to-be-with-the-one-we-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The few hours I spend with you are worth the thousand hours I spend without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aarav-islam-jebz/the-few-hours-i-spend-with-you-are-worth-the-thousand-hours-i-spend/) [Aarav Islam Jebz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aarav-islam-jebz/) ## More by Niall Ferguson > [“I wrote this book because I had formed a strong impression that the people currently living were paying insufficient attention to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-wrote-this-book-because-i-had-formed-a-strong-impression-that-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Consider this: the US economy created 2.4 million jobs in the three years beginning in June 2009. In the same period, 3.3 million Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/consider-this-the-us-economy-created-2-4-million-jobs-in-the-three/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [I think the rise of quantitative econometrics and a highly mathematical approach to risk management was the obverse of a decline in interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/i-think-the-rise-of-quantitative-econometrics-and-a-highly/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Is it better today to be in a network, which gives you influence, than in a hierarchy, which gives you power?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/is-it-better-today-to-be-in-a-network-which-gives-you-influence-than/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [As a teacher, my strategy is to encourage questioning. 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