---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He [Samuel Butler] made a practise of…"
description: "\"“He [Samuel Butler] made a practise of doing the forks last when washing up, on the grounds that he might die before he got to them. This is very much ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/philip-larkin-1822_samuel-butler_he-samuel-butler-made-a-practise-of-doin_2787889.jpg"
---

#  He \[Samuel Butler\] made a practise of doing the forks last…

![“He [Samuel Butler] made a practise of doing the forks last when washing up, on the grounds that he might die before he got to them. This is very much his principle of 'eating the grapes downwards', so that however many grapes you have eaten the next is always the best of the remainder.” quote by Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/philip-larkin-1822_samuel-butler_he-samuel-butler-made-a-practise-of-doin_2787889.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/philip-larkin-1822_samuel-butler_he-samuel-butler-made-a-practise-of-doin_2787889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de2/philip-larkin-1822_samuel-butler_he-samuel-butler-made-a-practise-of-doin_2787889.jpg)

> ““He \[Samuel Butler\] made a practise of doing the forks last when washing up, on the grounds that he might die before he got to them. This is very much his principle of 'eating the grapes downwards', so that however many grapes you have eaten the next is always the best of the remainder.””

[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He delays unpleasant tasks, believing later ones will be better, reflecting a habit of postponement and selective optimism.

**In simple terms:** He puts off chores, hoping later ones are better.

Key Takeaway

Don’t delay essential tasks hoping for better later.

Themes

procrastination optimism habit decision‑making

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- household chores
- project deadlines
- personal goals
- financial planning

Key Concepts

temporal bias self‑deception

Questions to Reflect On

- What tasks are you postponing and why?
- How does optimism affect your timing?

A Different Perspective

Delaying may cause missed opportunities or increased stress.

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[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

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[Carolyn Kizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-kizer/)

> [“I want to be able to do anything with words: handle slashing, flaming descriptions like Wells, and use the paradox with the clarity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-to-be-able-to-do-anything-with-words-handle-slashing-flaming/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

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[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [In the end I came to see that the true prophet of the modern world was Samuel Butler: when he suggested that the machine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/in-the-end-i-came-to-see-that-the-true-prophet-of-the-modern-world/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

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## More by Philip Larkin

> [Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/deprivation-is-for-me-what-daffodils-were-for-wordsworth/)

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[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

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[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

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[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

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[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

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[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

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[Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/)

> [So many things I had thought forgotten Return to my mind with stranger pain: Like letters that arrive addressed to someone Who left the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/so-many-things-i-had-thought-forgotten-return-to-my-mind-with/)

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## More Samuel Butler quotes

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

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[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“Life, said Samuel Butler, is like giving a concert on the violin while learning to play the instrument—that, friends, is real wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/life-said-samuel-butler-is-like-giving-a-concert-on-the-violin-while/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“I want to be able to do anything with words: handle slashing, flaming descriptions like Wells, and use the paradox with the clarity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-to-be-able-to-do-anything-with-words-handle-slashing-flaming/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“Food of Love Eating is touch carried to the bitter end. -Samuel Butler II I'm going to murder you with love; I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-kizer/food-of-love-eating-is-touch-carried-to-the-bitter-end-samuel-butler/)

[Carolyn Kizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-kizer/)

> [Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises. Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/life-is-the-art-of-drawing-sufficient-conclusions-from-insufficient-2/)

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> [Tobacco . . . is not prohibited in the Scriptures, though, as Samuel Butler points out, St. Paul would no doubt have denounced it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/tobacco-is-not-prohibited-in-the-scriptures-though-as-samuel-butler/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Fireflies out on a warm summer's night, seeing the urgent, flashing, yellow-white phosphorescence below them, go crazy with desire; moths cast to the winds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/fireflies-out-on-a-warm-summer-s-night-seeing-the-urgent-flashing/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

Browse all 9 Samuel Butler quotes

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