--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man would rather break his donkeys back…" description: "\"“A man would rather break his donkeys back than give it the carrot it requires to progress.”\" — R.P. Falconer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/r-p-falconer-67440_life-and-living_a-man-would-rather-break-his-donkeys-bac_1212340.jpg" --- # A man would rather break his donkeys back than give it the… ![“A man would rather break his donkeys back than give it the carrot it requires to progress.” quote by R.P. Falconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/r-p-falconer-67440_life-and-living_a-man-would-rather-break-his-donkeys-bac_1212340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/r-p-falconer-67440_life-and-living_a-man-would-rather-break-his-donkeys-bac_1212340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/r-p-falconer-67440_life-and-living_a-man-would-rather-break-his-donkeys-bac_1212340.jpg) > ““A man would rather break his donkeys back than give it the carrot it requires to progress.”” R.P. Falconer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often choose harsh punishment over offering incentives that motivate progress. **In simple terms:** Harshness beats incentives for progress. Key Takeaway Consider rewards instead of punishment. Themes motivation discipline incentives Mood critical analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - workplace management - education - parenting - self‑improvement Key Concepts behavioral economics psychology leadership Questions to Reflect On - When is punishment justified? - What incentives could replace harsh measures? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex motivational dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Donkeys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donkeys/) [Life and living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-living/) [Stubbornness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stubbornness/) ## Related quotes > [“Some men would rather break their donkeys back, than give them the carrot they both require to progress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-p-falconer/some-men-would-rather-break-their-donkeys-back-than-give-them-the/) R.P. Falconer > [“If you could stay as stubborn as when you were a child then you need not to compromise on your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/if-you-could-stay-as-stubborn-as-when-you-were-a-child-then-you-need/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“Don't bother to ring a bell in the ear that doesn't listen. Move to another ear, and if he doesn't listen to your bell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/don-t-bother-to-ring-a-bell-in-the-ear-that-doesn-t-listen-move-to/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only break himself against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-he-can-only-break/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I once had a man break up with me. He said I was using him because right after making love I would weigh myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-levine/i-once-had-a-man-break-up-with-me-he-said-i-was-using-him-because/) [Emily Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-levine/) > [You have fettered yourself of your own free will, man - break the fetters!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/you-have-fettered-yourself-of-your-own-free-will-man-break-the-fetters/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [God does so love to make a man break a promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-r-green/god-does-so-love-to-make-a-man-break-a-promise/) [Simon R. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-r-green/) > [“You could kill a man, but you could never break him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-rybakov/you-could-kill-a-man-but-you-could-never-break-him/) [Anatoly Rybakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-rybakov/) > [“I don’t want a man who will look after me—I can do that for myself. I want a man that can break me apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-patricks/i-don-t-want-a-man-who-will-look-after-me-i-can-do-that-for-myself-i/) [Logan Patricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-patricks/) > [“God loves to make a man break a vow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-loves-to-make-a-man-break-a-vow/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I always say my first break was a dead man's break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/i-always-say-my-first-break-was-a-dead-man-s-break/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [My donkeys are Jack and Don Quixote. They're very smart, very cautious. Much of what people consider stubbornness in donkeys is actually cautiousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/my-donkeys-are-jack-and-don-quixote-they-re-very-smart-very-cautious/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [“While everyone adjusted themselves and their packs, Donna sniffed curiously at Louie's nose. Her attitude suggested she might want to make friends with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/map-whitman/while-everyone-adjusted-themselves-and-their-packs-donna-sniffed/) Map Whitman > [Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/donkeys-live-a-long-time-none-of-you-has-ever-seen-a-dead-donkey/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Tiger would kill many people, yet they are launched to protect, the poor ass, do nothing. They serve the people. Big is sad that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/tiger-would-kill-many-people-yet-they-are-launched-to-protect-the/) Mak\_786 ## More by R.P. Falconer > [“Never step on caterpillars, as one day they'll become butterflies, and you'll never know when you'll need a ride on their wings of fortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-p-falconer/never-step-on-caterpillars-as-one-day-they-ll-become-butterflies-and/) R.P. Falconer > [“Never step on caterpillars, as one day, they'll become butterflies and you'll never know when you'll need a ride on its wings of fortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-p-falconer/never-step-on-caterpillars-as-one-day-they-ll-become-butterflies-and-2/) R.P. Falconer > [“Some men would rather break their donkeys back, than give them the carrot they both require to progress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-p-falconer/some-men-would-rather-break-their-donkeys-back-than-give-them-the/) R.P. Falconer Explore all 4 R.P. Falconer quotes ## More Donkeys quotes > [Tiger would kill many people, yet they are launched to protect, the poor ass, do nothing. They serve the people. Big is sad that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/tiger-would-kill-many-people-yet-they-are-launched-to-protect-the/) Mak\_786 > [Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/donkeys-live-a-long-time-none-of-you-has-ever-seen-a-dead-donkey/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“While everyone adjusted themselves and their packs, Donna sniffed curiously at Louie's nose. Her attitude suggested she might want to make friends with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/map-whitman/while-everyone-adjusted-themselves-and-their-packs-donna-sniffed/) Map Whitman > [My donkeys are Jack and Don Quixote. They're very smart, very cautious. Much of what people consider stubbornness in donkeys is actually cautiousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/my-donkeys-are-jack-and-don-quixote-they-re-very-smart-very-cautious/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [I have a lot of fun saving donkeys, horses or ponies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/i-have-a-lot-of-fun-saving-donkeys-horses-or-ponies/) [Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/) > [There is no point in ruuning along with donkeys if you are a Horse, a saturation point will come when you will start behaving/feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanji-paul-arvind/there-is-no-point-in-ruuning-along-with-donkeys-if-you-are-a-horse-a/) [Sanji-Paul Arvind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanji-paul-arvind/) > [My dad took me for an audition once, to show me, OK, you want to be a child actor, this is what its like.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-clarke/my-dad-took-me-for-an-audition-once-to-show-me-ok-you-want-to-be-a/) [Emilia Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-clarke/) > [“All this world needs today are intelligent donkeys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-abraham/all-this-world-needs-today-are-intelligent-donkeys/) [Amit Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-abraham/) > [“Crabs, crabs, crabs. Crabs the size of beach donkeys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/crabs-crabs-crabs-crabs-the-size-of-beach-donkeys/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Donkeys...I've decided that donkeys are universally cute. Really cute. So cute that donkeys defy any arguments of preferences being relative. When you pet their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-rico/donkeys-i-ve-decided-that-donkeys-are-universally-cute-really-cute-so/) Johnny Rico > [When it comes to pinning blame, pin the tail on the donkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-it-comes-to-pinning-blame-pin-the-tail-on-the-donkeys/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [When I'm writing about complicated subjects, it usually involves a world. It could be the world of Scientology or the world of Al Qaeda,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/when-i-m-writing-about-complicated-subjects-it-usually-involves-a/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [...even the donkeys were quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/even-the-donkeys-were-quiet/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [Dogs and other animals - goats, donkeys, cows, a grumpy rooster - continue to change my writing life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/dogs-and-other-animals-goats-donkeys-cows-a-grumpy-rooster-continue/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [Cats are like donkeys and camels, they won't ever quite give in to human tyranny, they won't try to imitate the human soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-aldington/cats-are-like-donkeys-and-camels-they-won-t-ever-quite-give-in-to/) [Richard Aldington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-aldington/) [Browse all 36 Donkeys quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donkeys/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A man would rather break his donkeys back than give it the carrot it requires to progress.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R.P. 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