--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The lottery of honest labor, drawn by…" description: "\"The lottery of honest labor, drawn by time, is the only one whose prizes are worth taking up and carrying home.\" — Theodore Parker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/theodore-parker-4457_home_the-lottery-of-honest-labor-drawn-by-tim_344516.png" --- # The lottery of honest labor, drawn by time, is the only… ![“The lottery of honest labor, drawn by time, is the only one whose prizes are worth taking up and carrying home.” quote by Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/theodore-parker-4457_home_the-lottery-of-honest-labor-drawn-by-tim_344516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/theodore-parker-4457_home_the-lottery-of-honest-labor-drawn-by-tim_344516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/theodore-parker-4457_home_the-lottery-of-honest-labor-drawn-by-tim_344516.png) > “The lottery of honest labor, drawn by time, is the only one whose prizes are worth taking up and carrying home.” [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) ## 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 over time yields the only truly valuable rewards that merit effort and stewardship. **In simple terms:** Time‑tested labor brings real rewards. Key Takeaway Value patience and diligence. Themes work ethic time reward Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career building - craftsmanship - long‑term investments - personal development Key Concepts virtue meritocracy sustained effort Questions to Reflect On - What long‑term goals are you cultivating? - How do you balance effort with fairness? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic inequities that affect outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Lottery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lottery/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Our civilization overflows with charity—which is simply willingness to hand back to labor as generous gracious alms a small part of the loot from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graham-phillips/our-civilization-overflows-with-charity-which-is-simply-willingness/) [David Graham Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graham-phillips/) > [My theory of self-made men is, then, simply this; that they are men of work. Whether or not such men have acquired material, moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/my-theory-of-self-made-men-is-then-simply-this-that-they-are-men-of/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I'm in this business because I despise honest labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-robbins/i-m-in-this-business-because-i-despise-honest-labor/) [Marty Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-robbins/) > [All honest labor becomes easy; it only becomes hard when done with unwillingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/all-honest-labor-becomes-easy-it-only-becomes-hard-when-done-with/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [Honest labor bears a lovely face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/honest-labor-bears-a-lovely-face/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [“For the first six months, all whe wanted was honest labor, finely crafted novels, and surf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-babitz/for-the-first-six-months-all-whe-wanted-was-honest-labor-finely/) [Eve Babitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-babitz/) > [Clamorous pauperism feastest While honest Labor, pining, hideth his sharp ribs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/clamorous-pauperism-feastest-while-honest-labor-pining-hideth-his/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [I have no taste for either poverty or honest labor, so writing is the only recourse left for me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-have-no-taste-for-either-poverty-or-honest-labor-so-writing-is-the/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Farming is backbreaking work, but at least it is honest labor. This killing isn’t honest. It is thievery… the thievery of men’s lives, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/farming-is-backbreaking-work-but-at-least-it-is-honest-labor-this/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [Teaching children the joy of honest labor is one of the greatest of all gifts you can bestow upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/teaching-children-the-joy-of-honest-labor-is-one-of-the-greatest-of/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Teaching children the joy of honest labor is one of the greatest of all gifts you can bestow upon them. Let us also teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/teaching-children-the-joy-of-honest-labor-is-one-of-the-greatest-of-2/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [I have been very lucky, I have won prizes and I've even won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erro/i-have-been-very-lucky-i-have-won-prizes-and-i-ve-even-won-the-lottery/) [Erro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erro/) > [As for women that do not think their own safety worth their thought, that impatient of their present state, resolve as they call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/as-for-women-that-do-not-think-their-own-safety-worth-their-thought/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-rhodes/remember-that-you-are-an-englishman-and-have-consequently-won-first/) [Cecil Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-rhodes/) > [A lottery is a salutary instrument and a tax... laid on the willing only, that is to say, on those who can risk the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-lottery-is-a-salutary-instrument-and-a-tax-laid-on-the-willing-only/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Theodore Parker > [That which is called liberality is frequently nothing more than the vanity of giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/that-which-is-called-liberality-is-frequently-nothing-more-than-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Every man has at times in his mind the Ideal of what he should be, but is not. This ideal may be high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/every-man-has-at-times-in-his-mind-the-ideal-of-what-he-should-be-but/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one. . . . But from what I see I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/i-do-not-pretend-to-understand-the-moral-universe-the-arc-is-a-long/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [For a thousand years no king in Christendom has shown such greatness or given so high a type of manly virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/for-a-thousand-years-no-king-in-christendom-has-shown-such-greatness/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Let us do our duty in our shop or our kitchen, in the market, the street, the office, the school, the home, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/let-us-do-our-duty-in-our-shop-or-our-kitchen-in-the-market-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Temperance is corporeal piety; it is the preservation of divine order in the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/temperance-is-corporeal-piety-it-is-the-preservation-of-divine-order/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Science is the natural ally of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/science-is-the-natural-ally-of-religion/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The joy of heaven will begin as soon as we attain the character of heaven, and do its duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-joy-of-heaven-will-begin-as-soon-as-we-attain-the-character-of/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-that-help-you-the-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Mankind never loses any good thing, physical, intellectual, or moral, till it finds a better, and then the loss is a gain. No steps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/mankind-never-loses-any-good-thing-physical-intellectual-or-moral/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Manly natural religion - it is not joining the Church; it is not to believe in a creed, Hebrew, Protestant, Catholic, Trinitarian, Unitarian, Nothingarian.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/manly-natural-religion-it-is-not-joining-the-church-it-is-not-to/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [The books which help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is by easy reading; every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-books-which-help-you-most-are-those-which-make-you-think-the-most/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [What succeeds we keep, and it becomes the habit of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/what-succeeds-we-keep-and-it-becomes-the-habit-of-mankind/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Wit has its place in debate; in controversy it is a legitimate weapon, offensive and defensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/wit-has-its-place-in-debate-in-controversy-it-is-a-legitimate-weapon/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [Love of truth will bless the lover all his days; yet when he brings her home, his fair-faced bride, she comes empty-handed to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/love-of-truth-will-bless-the-lover-all-his-days-yet-when-he-brings/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) [Explore all 110 Theodore Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) ## More Home quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [If your life's at a juncture and you need to think about things, there's nowhere better than home. However old you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/if-your-life-s-at-a-juncture-and-you-need-to-think-about-things-there/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/) [Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. 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