--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the mind must govern the hands, so in…" description: "\"As the mind must govern the hands, so in every society the man of intelligence must direct the man of labor.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png" --- # As the mind must govern the hands, so in every society the… ![“As the mind must govern the hands, so in every society the man of intelligence must direct the man of labor.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png) > “As the mind must govern the hands, so in every society the man of intelligence must direct the man of labor.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence should guide labor in society, ensuring thoughtful direction of work. **In simple terms:** Smart people should lead workers. Key Takeaway Let intellect direct effort. Themes leadership responsibility society intelligence labor Mood thoughtful serious Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - corporate management - community projects - team leadership Key Concepts philosophy social hierarchy ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance intellect with workers' lived experience? - What structures ensure intelligent direction benefits all? A Different Perspective Intelligence alone may not address practical constraints of labor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [The great business of man is to improve his mind, and govern his manners; all other projects and pursuits, whether in our power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-great-business-of-man-is-to-improve-his-mind-and-govern-his/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [I've never been given an opportunity to direct, but man, I would love to try my hand at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiya-sircar/i-ve-never-been-given-an-opportunity-to-direct-but-man-i-would-love/) [Tiya Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiya-sircar/) > [It is the direct man who strikes sledgehammer blows, who penetrates the very marrow of a subject at every stroke and gets the meat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-s-marden/it-is-the-direct-man-who-strikes-sledgehammer-blows-who-penetrates/) [Orison S. Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-s-marden/) > [Such is the constitution of Man that labor may be said to be its own re-ward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/such-is-the-constitution-of-man-that-labor-may-be-said-to-be-its-own/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A man's labor is not only his capital but his life. When it passes it returns never more. To utilize it, to prevent its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/a-man-s-labor-is-not-only-his-capital-but-his-life-when-it-passes-it/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [“The more we train a man to labor, deliberate, dictate and demand over the inconsequential, the less capable his mind becomes of holding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-more-we-train-a-man-to-labor-deliberate-dictate-and-demand-over/) [Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/) > [Life gives nothing to man without labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/life-gives-nothing-to-man-without-labor/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [We are so bound together that no man can labor for himself alone. Each blow he strikes in his own behalf helps to mold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/we-are-so-bound-together-that-no-man-can-labor-for-himself-alone-each/) [Jerome K. 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Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Undoubtedly a man is to labor to better his condition, but first to better himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/undoubtedly-a-man-is-to-labor-to-better-his-condition-but-first-to/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [The people shall further be graded according to wealth, and—humorous touch this—the more obviously a man labor, the more stinting shall be his reward;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-o-neill/the-people-shall-further-be-graded-according-to-wealth-and-humorous/) [Jamie O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-o-neill/) > [No man will labor for himself who can make another labor for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-man-will-labor-for-himself-who-can-make-another-labor-for-him/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Tis no sin for a man to labor in his vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/tis-no-sin-for-a-man-to-labor-in-his-vocation/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. 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Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) Browse all 3,391 Direct quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As the mind must govern the hands, so in every society the man of intelligence must direct the man of labor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in-every-society-the-man-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Direct" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in-every-society-the-man-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/samuel-johnson-50_direct_as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in_2306730.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As the mind must govern the hands, so in every society the man of intelligence must direct the man of labor.” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As the mind must govern the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in-every-society-the-man-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/as-the-mind-must-govern-the-hands-so-in-every-society-the-man-of/#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 } } ] } ```