---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We all know that the nation can't divide…"
description: "\"We all know that the nation can't divide more than the people produce, but as individuals we try to get more than our share and that's how we get ahead..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png"
---

#  We all know that the nation can't divide more than the…

![“We all know that the nation can't divide more than the people produce, but as individuals we try to get more than our share and that's how we get ahead.” quote by William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png)

> “We all know that the nation can't divide more than the people produce, but as individuals we try to get more than our share and that's how we get ahead.”

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People tend to over‑claim resources, leading to competition and progress.

**In simple terms:** Individuals often seek more than they earn, driving advancement.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the drive for personal growth.

Themes

economics human nature competition

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- investment decisions
- team projects

Key Concepts

resource allocation personal ambition social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Is it always beneficial to seek more than one’s share?
- What balance exists between ambition and fairness?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on competition can harm cooperation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Divide People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divide-people/) [Divides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divides/) [Get ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-ahead/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Nation Divide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-divide-2274483/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-produce-419890/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Produce Individuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce-individuals-2812387/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Share Ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share-ahead-2812388/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/)

## Related quotes

> [We need efforts to integrate the nation, not divide it. The 2014 elections is about voting for India. It is to decide what kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-need-efforts-to-integrate-the-nation-not-divide-it-the-2014/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [People who produce good results feel good about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/people-who-produce-good-results-feel-good-about-themselves/)

[Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/)

> [There are many places that people can produce really good food. I wouldn't limit it to an area of the country, it's what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-burrell/there-are-many-places-that-people-can-produce-really-good-food-i/)

[Anne Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-burrell/)

> [People 'over-produce' pollution because they are not paying for the costs of dealing with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/people-over-produce-pollution-because-they-are-not-paying-for-the/)

[Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/)

> [As we get better at things, we need less people to produce the things we really need, but what do we do with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tino-sehgal/as-we-get-better-at-things-we-need-less-people-to-produce-the-things/)

[Tino Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tino-sehgal/)

> [in the comparatively short time between my childhood and my daughter's, the business society has ceased urging people to produce and is now exerting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/in-the-comparatively-short-time-between-my-childhood-and-my-daughter/)

[Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/)

> [“Happy people produce. Bored people consume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/happy-people-produce-bored-people-consume/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [The City of London and Wall Street are not going to be great places to be in the next two or three decades. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rogers/the-city-of-london-and-wall-street-are-not-going-to-be-great-places/)

[Jim Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rogers/)

> [The way to get ahead is to start now. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/the-way-to-get-ahead-is-to-start-now-if-you-start-now-you-will-know-a/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [The way to get ahead is to start now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/the-way-to-get-ahead-is-to-start-now/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [As a rule, the most dangerous ideas are not the ones that divide people but those on which they agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vizinczey/as-a-rule-the-most-dangerous-ideas-are-not-the-ones-that-divide/)

[Stephen Vizinczey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vizinczey/)

> [ I don't feel that I've been hampered by \[ racism or discrimination\], and the reason why is that we reach out to people on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/i-don-t-feel-that-i-ve-been-hampered-by-racism-or-discrimination-and/)

[Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/)

> [I think Donald Trump is dividing the American people. He is not good for America. It's not good for our standing in the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-think-donald-trump-is-dividing-the-american-people-he-is-not-good/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [I always divide people into two groups. Those who live by what they know to be a lie, and those who live by what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/i-always-divide-people-into-two-groups-those-who-live-by-what-they/)

[Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/)

> [In our own country, you can't divide people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urmila-matondkar/in-our-own-country-you-can-t-divide-people/)

[Urmila Matondkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urmila-matondkar/)

## More by William Feather

> [Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/before-it-can-be-solved-a-problem-must-be-clearly-defined/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Deliver me from all evildoers that talk nothing but sickness and failure. Grant me the companionship of men who think success and men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/deliver-me-from-all-evildoers-that-talk-nothing-but-sickness-and/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Unnecessary hustle is one of the American follies. We hustle at both work and play, and consequently enjoy neither to the utmost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/unnecessary-hustle-is-one-of-the-american-follies-we-hustle-at-both/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Business is like a wheelbarrow-it stands still until someone pushes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/business-is-like-a-wheelbarrow-it-stands-still-until-someone-pushes-it/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [A good man likes a hard boss. I don't mean a nagging boss or a grouchy boss. I mean a boss who insists on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/a-good-man-likes-a-hard-boss-i-don-t-mean-a-nagging-boss-or-a-grouchy/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Loneliness is something you can't walk away from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/loneliness-is-something-you-can-t-walk-away-from/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Success in business hinges mostly on the ability to get the important things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/success-in-business-hinges-mostly-on-the-ability-to-get-the-important/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [It's not the increasing competition; it's going back to real work that most of us complain about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/it-s-not-the-increasing-competition-it-s-going-back-to-real-work-that/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [A man must not deny his manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/a-man-must-not-deny-his-manifest-abilities-for-that-is-to-evade-his/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Always remember that there is a law of compensation which operates just as infallibly as gravitation, and that victory goes at last where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/always-remember-that-there-is-a-law-of-compensation-which-operates/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [When ordering lunch, the big executives are just as indecisive as the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/when-ordering-lunch-the-big-executives-are-just-as-indecisive-as-the/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/success-seems-to-be-largely-a-matter-of-hanging-on-after-others-have/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Too many of us vote for our prejudices instead of our desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/too-many-of-us-vote-for-our-prejudices-instead-of-our-desires/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Indifference and inaction must always pay a penalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/indifference-and-inaction-must-always-pay-a-penalty/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [He that succeeds makes an important thing of the immediate task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/he-that-succeeds-makes-an-important-thing-of-the-immediate-task/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

[Explore all 155 William Feather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

## More Divides quotes

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/)

[Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/)

> [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I consider that the Golden Rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. Software…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/i-consider-that-the-golden-rule-requires-that-if-i-like-a-program-i/)

[Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/)

> [I did not come to power to divide Somali but to unite them, and I will never deviate from this path. I shall respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siad-barre/i-did-not-come-to-power-to-divide-somali-but-to-unite-them-and-i-will/)

[Siad Barre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siad-barre/)

> [One principal reason why men are so often useless is that they neglect their own profession or calling, and divide and shift their attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathanael-emmons/one-principal-reason-why-men-are-so-often-useless-is-that-they/)

[Nathanael Emmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathanael-emmons/)

> [The forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-forces-that-divide-us-are-not-as-strong-as-those-that-unite-us/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Fascists divide in two categories: the fascists and the anti-fascists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ennio-flaiano/fascists-divide-in-two-categories-the-fascists-and-the-anti-fascists/)

[Ennio Flaiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ennio-flaiano/)

> [The way most people approach business - and the way they mostly teach in business school - involves the analytical mind. It divides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/the-way-most-people-approach-business-and-the-way-they-mostly-teach/)

[John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/)

> [If you look at sort of how politics has divided itself here in this country, the big divide right now is between urban areas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-you-look-at-sort-of-how-politics-has-divided-itself-here-in-this/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The AFL-CIO is a structure that divides workers' strength by allowing each union to organize in any industry, then bargain on its own, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stern/the-afl-cio-is-a-structure-that-divides-workers-strength-by-allowing/)

[Andy Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stern/)

> [Religion divides us, while it is our human characteristics that bind us to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-bondi/religion-divides-us-while-it-is-our-human-characteristics-that-bind/)

[Hermann Bondi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-bondi/)

> [He swift don't win the race. It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/he-swift-don-t-win-the-race-it-goes-to-the-worthy-who-can-divide-the/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [I divide all literary works into two categories: Those I like and those I don't like. No other criterion exists for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/i-divide-all-literary-works-into-two-categories-those-i-like-and/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

[Browse all 662 Divides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divides/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We all know that the nation can't divide more than the people produce, but as individuals we try to get more than our share and that's how we get ahead.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Feather"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide-more-than-the-people-produce/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Divides"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide-more-than-the-people-produce/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/william-feather-2664_divides_we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide_1090038.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We all know that the nation can't divide more than the people produce, but as individuals we try to get more…” — William Feather",
                "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": "William Feather",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We all know that the nation...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide-more-than-the-people-produce/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/we-all-know-that-the-nation-can-t-divide-more-than-the-people-produce/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
