--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reward for digging holes is a bigger…" description: "\"“The reward for digging holes is a bigger shovel”\" — Terry Pratchett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg" --- # The reward for digging holes is a bigger shovel ![“The reward for digging holes is a bigger shovel” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg) > ““The reward for digging holes is a bigger shovel”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## 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 often leads to bigger challenges, requiring more resources or effort. **In simple terms:** More work brings bigger tools. Key Takeaway Plan ahead before taking on more work. Themes hard work resource management growth Mood cautious reflective Type advice cautionary When to use this quote - career advancement - project management - personal development Key Concepts effort escalation tool acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance effort with sustainability? - When is it time to stop expanding your toolkit? A Different Perspective If you keep digging, you may never finish the task. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigger Shovel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger-shovel-3315996/) [Digging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digging/) [Digging Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digging-holes-745706/) [Hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hole/) [Holes Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes-bigger-5252857/) [Reward Digging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-digging-5252856/) ## Related quotes > [The first thing you ought to do when you find yourself in a hole is quit digging. . . . Instead they are looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-when-you-find-yourself-in-a-hole-is/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“The way to quit digging holes is to get rid of the shovels and stay away from the dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-way-to-quit-digging-holes-is-to-get-rid-of-the-shovels-and-stay/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I was a manual labourer. I figured out really early on that the value of my life could be determined by my hourly rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-was-a-manual-labourer-i-figured-out-really-early-on-that-the-value/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [I was good at digging holes. It was the rest of life I sucked at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-was-good-at-digging-holes-it-was-the-rest-of-life-i-sucked-at/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [ I shovel \[money\] out, and God shovels it back...but God has a bigger shovel! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-g-letourneau/i-shovel-money-out-and-god-shovels-it-back-but-god-has-a-bigger-shovel/) [R. G. LeTourneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-g-letourneau/) > [“Sorry to inform you...but as a fellow failed miner, the problem is there's nowhere left to dig. We're real poets man. And whatever. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-eisold/sorry-to-inform-you-but-as-a-fellow-failed-miner-the-problem-is-there/) [Wesley Eisold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-eisold/) > [In this uncertain world I am certain that hoes are digging holes :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letmespeak/in-this-uncertain-world-i-am-certain-that-hoes-are-digging-holes/) [LetMeSpeak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letmespeak/) > [“The oddity of our existence is that we are capable of digging holes deeper than we are capable of getting ourselves out of. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-oddity-of-our-existence-is-that-we-are-capable-of-digging-holes/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [A guy digging ditches or a plumber wiping joints - it solves problems, you know? You have to dig this hole so wide, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-marvin/a-guy-digging-ditches-or-a-plumber-wiping-joints-it-solves-problems/) [Lee Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-marvin/) > [If you're digging a hole in the wrong place, making it deeper doesn't help anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-chwast/if-you-re-digging-a-hole-in-the-wrong-place-making-it-deeper-doesn-t/) [Seymour Chwast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-chwast/) > [“I'm in a hole because at some point I found a shovel and started digging. Maybe I should trade my shovels for ladders and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-m-in-a-hole-because-at-some-point-i-found-a-shovel-and-started/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [If You're In A Hole, Stop Digging: 'Do Not Create More Trouble For Yourself When You Are Already Facing Some.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/if-you-re-in-a-hole-stop-digging-do-not-create-more-trouble-for/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [If you dig a hole and it's in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn't going to help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-chwast/if-you-dig-a-hole-and-it-s-in-the-wrong-place-digging-it-deeper-isn-t/) [Seymour Chwast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-chwast/) > [If you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is stop digging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/church-bulletin-board/if-you-find-yourself-in-a-hole-the-first-thing-to-do-is-stop-digging/) [Church Bulletin Board](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/church-bulletin-board/) > [First law on holes - when you're in one, stop digging!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/first-law-on-holes-when-you-re-in-one-stop-digging/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Digging quotes > [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/) [Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/) > [In a delightful garden, sowing, planting or digging are not hardship but are done with a zeal and a certain pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/in-a-delightful-garden-sowing-planting-or-digging-are-not-hardship/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-archaeology-you-uncover-the-unknown-in-diplomacy-you-cover-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-thought-i-knew-a-lot-about-music-then-you-start-digging-and-the/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [From my image of digging around in the mud like a grunt, I preferred fighting the war from ships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/from-my-image-of-digging-around-in-the-mud-like-a-grunt-i-preferred/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [When you consider the sheer magnitude of investable equities to choose from in the world's emerging markets, you realize that finding one that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mobius/when-you-consider-the-sheer-magnitude-of-investable-equities-to/) [Mark Mobius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mobius/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [ The Ancient One, as you know, is the master, is the Sorcerer Supreme, and \[Doctor\] Strange comes to learn how to heal himself and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/the-ancient-one-as-you-know-is-the-master-is-the-sorcerer-supreme-and/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I wish I lived back in the Old West days, because I'd save up my money for about twenty years so I could buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-wish-i-lived-back-in-the-old-west-days-because-i-d-save-up-my-money/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [If you really want to be a good archaeologist, you have to understand ancient DNA; you have to understand chemical analysis to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/if-you-really-want-to-be-a-good-archaeologist-you-have-to-understand/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [I was a manual labourer. I figured out really early on that the value of my life could be determined by my hourly rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-was-a-manual-labourer-i-figured-out-really-early-on-that-the-value/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [Archaeology, I found, comprehended all manner of excitement and achievement. Adventure is coupled with bookish toil. Romantic excursions go hand in hand with scholarly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/archaeology-i-found-comprehended-all-manner-of-excitement-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've never met a girl who thinks like you." "A lot of people tell me that," she said, digging at a cuticle. "But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-ve-never-met-a-girl-who-thinks-like-you-a-lot-of-people-tell-me/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you don't break a hole through the brick wall, don't just start digging a new hole. Keep going until you break through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/if-you-don-t-break-a-hole-through-the-brick-wall-don-t-just-start/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Keep digging, Flynn. Six feet makes a grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/keep-digging-flynn-six-feet-makes-a-grave/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) [Browse all 487 Digging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The reward for digging holes is a bigger shovel”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger-shovel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Digging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger-shovel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b5/terry-pratchett-19_digging_the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger_3080548.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reward for digging holes is a bigger shovel” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The reward for digging holes is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger-shovel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-reward-for-digging-holes-is-a-bigger-shovel/#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 } } ] } ```