--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laziness is the mother of all evils." description: "\"Laziness is the mother of all evils.\" — Sophocles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png" --- # Laziness is the mother of all evils. ![“Laziness is the mother of all evils.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png) > “Laziness is the mother of all evils.” [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laziness leads to all other vices, acting as a root cause of moral decay. **In simple terms:** Laziness breeds many other sins. Key Takeaway Combat laziness to prevent further wrongdoing. Themes laziness vice moral decay personal responsibility Mood serious didactic Type classical philosophical When to use this quote - workplace productivity - personal development - education curricula Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology of motivation classical literature Questions to Reflect On - How does laziness trigger other vices? - What habits replace laziness? A Different Perspective Laziness is not the only cause; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evils/) [Laziness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness/) [Laziness Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness-mother-1787634/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Evils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-evils-2332671/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Laziness is the mother of all bad habbits but ultimately she is a MOTHER and we should respect her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mj-korvan/laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-bad-habbits-but-ultimately-she-is-a/) [MJ Korvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mj-korvan/) > [Ignorance is the mother of all evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/ignorance-is-the-mother-of-all-evils/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [If one evil eats at the moral fiber of human life in this world that could be termed as Mother of Evils, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-joseph-benziger/if-one-evil-eats-at-the-moral-fiber-of-human-life-in-this-world-that/) [T Joseph Benziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-joseph-benziger/) > [Laziness is the mother of all bad habits but ultimately she is a MOTHER and we should respect her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-bad-habits-but-ultimately-she-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [O Laziness, mother of the arts and noble virtues, be thou the balm of human anguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lafargue/o-laziness-mother-of-the-arts-and-noble-virtues-be-thou-the-balm-of/) [Paul Lafargue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lafargue/) > [Laziness is the mother of efficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-propp/laziness-is-the-mother-of-efficiency/) [Marian Propp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-propp/) > [Whoever lives among many evils just as I, how can dying not be a source of gain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/whoever-lives-among-many-evils-just-as-i-how-can-dying-not-be-a/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Death is not the greatest of evils; it is worse to want to die, and not be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/death-is-not-the-greatest-of-evils-it-is-worse-to-want-to-die-and-not/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [All a man's affairs become diseased when he wishes to cure evils by evils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/all-a-man-s-affairs-become-diseased-when-he-wishes-to-cure-evils-by/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [LAZiNESS and iNACTiViTY kiLLs as many peopLe as smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonna-sanda/laziness-and-inactivity-kills-as-many-people-as-smoking/) [Jhonna Sanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonna-sanda/) > [Ricky Gervais captured the staggering laziness that comes with a boring job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enfield/ricky-gervais-captured-the-staggering-laziness-that-comes-with-a/) [Harry Enfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enfield/) > [I think that laziness in many ways is the human condition, and that's what has led us to this place where, as we've developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-think-that-laziness-in-many-ways-is-the-human-condition-and-that-s/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [Procrastination isn't patience. It's a sign of laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/procrastination-isn-t-patience-it-s-a-sign-of-laziness/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) ## More by Sophocles > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“But life takes sudden twists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-life-takes-sudden-twists/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-god-hates-utterly-the-bray-of-bragging-tongues/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-have-nothing-but-contempt-for-the-kind-of-governor-who-is-afraid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Not from Hades' black and universal lake can you lift him. Not by groaning, not by prayers. Yet you run yourself out in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/not-from-hades-black-and-universal-lake-can-you-lift-him-not-by/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fearful man is always hearing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fearful-man-is-always-hearing-things/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [There is a point at which even justice does injury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/there-is-a-point-at-which-even-justice-does-injury/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Explore all 621 Sophocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Laziness is the mother of all evils.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sophocles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/sophocles-370_evil_laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils-6787_678734.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Laziness is the mother of all evils.” — Sophocles", "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": "Sophocles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Laziness is the mother of all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/laziness-is-the-mother-of-all-evils/#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 } } ] } ```