--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All life is a struggle… Under competition…" description: "\"All life is a struggle… Under competition the lazy man is put under the necessity of exerting himself; and if he will not exert himself, he must fall b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/samuel-smiles-2037_behinds_all-life-is-a-struggle-under-competition_1475597.jpg" --- # All life is a struggle… Under competition the lazy man is… ![“All life is a struggle… Under competition the lazy man is put under the necessity of exerting himself; and if he will not exert himself, he must fall behind. If he do not work, neither shall he eat.” quote by Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/samuel-smiles-2037_behinds_all-life-is-a-struggle-under-competition_1475597.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/samuel-smiles-2037_behinds_all-life-is-a-struggle-under-competition_1475597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/samuel-smiles-2037_behinds_all-life-is-a-struggle-under-competition_1475597.jpg) > “All life is a struggle… Under competition the lazy man is put under the necessity of exerting himself; and if he will not exert himself, he must fall behind. If he do not work, neither shall he eat.” [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard work is essential; without effort, one cannot earn sustenance or progress. **In simple terms:** Work is required to earn and advance. Key Takeaway Put in effort to avoid falling behind. Themes work effort competition survival Mood determined serious Type motivational pragmatic When to use this quote - job seeking - entrepreneurship - daily chores - financial planning Key Concepts capitalism self-reliance economic necessity Questions to Reflect On - What tasks can you commit to today? - How do you handle competition? A Different Perspective Hard work alone may not guarantee success if systemic barriers exist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Competition Lazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition-lazy-5365563/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lazy/) [Lazy man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lazy-man/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life is a struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-a-struggle/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-competition-2210091/) ## Related quotes > [Human nature being what it is, peace must inevitably be a relative condition. The essence of life is struggle and competition, and to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-perez-de-cuellar/human-nature-being-what-it-is-peace-must-inevitably-be-a-relative/) [Javier Perez de Cuellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-perez-de-cuellar/) > [I am drawn to women who are independent and creative, which is problematic because it's a struggle, a competition of careers. There's jealousy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-am-drawn-to-women-who-are-independent-and-creative-which-is/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [It is one of the most fatal illusions that, by substituting negotiations between states or organized groups for competition for markets or for raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-one-of-the-most-fatal-illusions-that-by-substituting/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Life is a kind of Chess, with struggle, competition, good and ill events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/life-is-a-kind-of-chess-with-struggle-competition-good-and-ill-events/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Avoid using the word 'very' because it's lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don't use very sad, use morose. Language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/avoid-using-the-word-very-because-it-s-lazy-a-man-is-not-very-tired/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [The only time a lazy man ever succeeds is when he tries to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-only-time-a-lazy-man-ever-succeeds-is-when-he-tries-to-do-nothing/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Fatalism is the lazy man's way of accepting the inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-clifford-barney/fatalism-is-the-lazy-man-s-way-of-accepting-the-inevitable/) [Natalie Clifford Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-clifford-barney/) > [Procrastination is a lazy man's apology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/procrastination-is-a-lazy-man-s-apology/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest, for he has not earned it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/the-idle-man-does-not-know-what-it-is-to-enjoy-rest-for-he-has-not/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) > [I suspect guys who say, "I just send out for a sandwich for lunch," as lazy men trying to impress me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cannon/i-suspect-guys-who-say-i-just-send-out-for-a-sandwich-for-lunch-as/) [Jimmy Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cannon/) > [Stealing is a lazy man's way. Something for nothing, leaves you hell to pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-peterson/stealing-is-a-lazy-man-s-way-something-for-nothing-leaves-you-hell-to/) [Michael Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-peterson/) > [I notice how it takes a lazy man, a man that hates moving, to get set on moving once he does get started off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-notice-how-it-takes-a-lazy-man-a-man-that-hates-moving-to-get-set/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [For a lazy man I work awfully hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lorre/for-a-lazy-man-i-work-awfully-hard/) [Peter Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lorre/) > [“I'm a lazy man. With lazy dreams. I need Tai to wake me up, make me vibrate, irritate me. I need my angry woman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-m-a-lazy-man-with-lazy-dreams-i-need-tai-to-wake-me-up-make-me/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The lazy man is the slave of his own feelings. His body is his master; not his servant. He is the slave of circumstances.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dewitt-hyde/the-lazy-man-is-the-slave-of-his-own-feelings-his-body-is-his-master/) [William Dewitt Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dewitt-hyde/) ## More by Samuel Smiles > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Diligence, above all, is the mother of good luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/diligence-above-all-is-the-mother-of-good-luck/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The women of the poorer classes make sacrifices, and run risks, and bear privations, and exercise patience and kindness to a degree that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-women-of-the-poorer-classes-make-sacrifices-and-run-risks-and/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Self-respect is the noblest garment with which a man can clothe himself, the most elevating feeling with which the mind can be inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/self-respect-is-the-noblest-garment-with-which-a-man-can-clothe/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The experience gathered from books, though often valuable, is but of the nature of learning; whereas, the experience gained from actual life is of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-experience-gathered-from-books-though-often-valuable-is-but-of/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have had to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-apprenticeship-of-difficulty-is-one-which-the-greatest-of-men/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-spirit-of-self-help-is-the-root-of-all-genuine-growth-in-the/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The wise man... if he would live at peace with others, he will bear and forbear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-wise-man-if-he-would-live-at-peace-with-others-he-will-bear-and/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Those who are the most persistent, and work in the true spirit, will invariably be the most successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/those-who-are-the-most-persistent-and-work-in-the-true-spirit-will/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The iron rail proved a magicians' road. It virtually reduced England to a sixth of its size. It brought the country nearer to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-iron-rail-proved-a-magicians-road-it-virtually-reduced-england-to/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [This extraordinary metal, the soul of every manufacture, and the mainspring perhaps of civilised society. Of iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/this-extraordinary-metal-the-soul-of-every-manufacture-and-the/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [Man cannot aspire if he looked down; if he rise, he must look up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/man-cannot-aspire-if-he-looked-down-if-he-rise-he-must-look-up/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The life of a good man is at the same time the most eloquent lesson of virtue and the most severe reproof of vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-life-of-a-good-man-is-at-the-same-time-the-most-eloquent-lesson/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [It is a grand old name, that of gentleman, and has been recognized as a rank and power in all stages of society. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/it-is-a-grand-old-name-that-of-gentleman-and-has-been-recognized-as-a/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [“Many are the lives of men unwritten, which have nevertheless as powerfully influenced civilization and progress as the more fortunate Great whose names are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/many-are-the-lives-of-men-unwritten-which-have-nevertheless-as/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) [Explore all 189 Samuel Smiles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. 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If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind every word flows energy. 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Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. 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All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) [Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All life is a struggle… Under competition the lazy man is put under the necessity of exerting himself; and if he will not exert himself, he must fall behind. 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