Another man Quote by Rudyard Kipling
““Good work does not matter, because a man is judged by his worst output and another man takes all the credit of his best as a rule. Bad work does not matter, because other men do worse, and incompetents hang on longer in India than anywhere else. Amusements do not matter, because you must repeat them as soon as you have accomplished them once, and most amusements only mean trying to win another person’s money. Sickness does not matter, because it’s all in the day’s work, and if you die another man takes over your place and your office in the eight hours between death and burial.””
About This Quote
The passage argues that individual effort is insignificant because outcomes are judged relative to others, and societal structures allow mediocrity to persist.
In simple terms: Individual effort is eclipsed by comparative judgment and systemic inertia.
Key Takeaway
Success and failure are socially contextual, not absolute.
Themes
relativism
social hierarchy
inequality
bureaucracy
human nature
Mood
cynical
reflective
Type
philosophical
sociopolitical
When to use this quote
- career advancement
- team performance reviews
- creative collaborations
- political power shifts
Key Concepts
comparative evaluation
social mobility
institutional inertia
competition
Practical Applications
- designing fair evaluation metrics
- building resilient organizations
Questions to Reflect On
- How does comparative judgment affect motivation?
- Can institutions be reformed to value individual contribution?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that personal merit can still shape outcomes despite systemic biases.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
