“For example, the dwarfs found out how to turn lead into gold by doing it the hard way. The difference between that and the easy way is that the hard way works.”

— Terry Pratchett , book The Truth

Source: The Truth

Last update Sept. 29, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "For example, the dwarfs found out how to turn lead into gold by doing it the hard way. The difference between that and …" by Terry Pratchett?

Terry Pratchett 796

English author 1948–2015

Related quotes

“We can do this the easy way,' Oblivious snarled. 'Or the hard way.'
'What's the easy way?'
'You leave immediately.'
'And what's the hard way?'
'We make you leave.'
Skulduggery's head tilted. 'What was the easy way again?”

Derek Landy (1974) Irish children's writer

Source: Death Bringer

“I wanted to encourage local people to love the environment and the best way to do so was to lead by example. I tried hard.”

Samuel Oton Sidin (1954) 21st-century Indonesian Catholic bishop

Source: Priest receives top environmental award https://www.ucanews.com/news/priest-receives-top-environmental-award/52279 (6 June 2012)

“Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.”

John Milton book Paradise Lost

Source: Paradise Lost

“There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard.”

David Petraeus (1952) retired American military officer and public official

"General Petraeus’s Opening Statement" (23 January 2007) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/23/world/middleeast/24petraeustextcnd.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Context: There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. Progress will require determination and difficult U. S. and Iraqi actions, especially the latter, as ultimately the outcome will be determined by the Iraqis. But hard is not hopeless, and if confirmed, I pledge to do my utmost to lead our wonderful men and women in uniform and those of our coalition partners in Iraq as we endeavor to help the Iraqis make the most of the opportunity our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have given to them.

“If we choose the easy way, by letting another think for us, we must eventually tread the hard way. If we select the hard way, by insisting upon our own mental integrity, we eventually come to the easy way.”

Vernon Howard (1918–1992) American writer

The Power of Your Supermind

“Choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

Bill Gates (1955) American business magnate and philanthropist

Sometimes quoted with "difficult" instead of "hard".
A similar thought was expressed by automobile executive Clarence Bleicher in 1947 (before Bill Gates was born): "if you get a tough job, one that is hard, and you haven’t got a way to make it easy, put a lazy man on it, and after 10 days he will have an easy way to do it".
Misattributed
Source: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/26/lazy-job/