“Now if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth,
Well I wonder what would happen to this world.”

—  Harry Chapin

I Wonder What Would Happen to this World
Song lyrics, Living Room Suite (1978)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Now if a man tried To take his time on Earth And prove before he died What one man's life could be worth, Well I wo…" by Harry Chapin?
Harry Chapin photo
Harry Chapin 90
American musician 1942–1981

Related quotes

Harry Chapin photo

“And if a woman
She used a life line
As something more than
Some man's servant mother wife time
Well I wonder what would happen to this world.”

Harry Chapin (1942–1981) American musician

I Wonder What Would Happen to this World
Song lyrics, Living Room Suite (1978)
Variant: Oh, if a man tried
To take his time on earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth,
I wonder what would happen to this world.

“A man spends his whole life trying to prove his worth to others. A woman spends her life trying to prove her worth to herself.”

Tawni O'Dell book Sister Mine

Source: Sister Mine

Andrew Jackson photo

“Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.”

Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) American general and politician, 7th president of the United States

General Peyton C. March, as quoted in Crew Resource Management for the Fire Service (2004) by Randy Okray and Thomas Lubnau II, p. 25.
Misattributed

Djuna Barnes photo

“A man is whole only when he takes into account his shadow as well as himself — and what is a man's shadow but his upright astonishment?”

Djuna Barnes book Nightwood

Source: Nightwood (1936), Ch. 6 : Where the Tree Falls

Austin Grossman photo

“I'm the smartest man in the world. Once I wore a cape in public, and fought battles against men who could fly, who had metal skin, who could kill you with their eyes. I fought CoreFire to a standstill, and the Super Squadron, and the Champions. Now I have to shuffle through a cafeteria line with men who tried to pass bad checks. Now I have to wonder if there will be chocolate milk in the dispenser. And whether the smartest man in the world has done the smartest thing he could with his life.”

Austin Grossman book Soon I Will Be Invincible

Source: Soon I Will Be Invincible (2007), Ch. 1: Foiled Again

Albert Einstein photo

“The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
Albert Schweitzer quote: “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”
Albert Schweitzer photo

“The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”

Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French-German physician, theologian, musician and philosopher

Variant: The tragedy in a man’s life is what dies inside of him while he lives.

Jonathan Safran Foer photo

“I wondered, for the first time in my life, if life was worth all the work it took to live. What exactly made it worth it?”

Jonathan Safran Foer book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Source: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005)
Context: I felt that night, on the stage, incredibly close to everything in the universe, but also extremely alone. I wondered, for the first time in my life, if life was worth all the work it took to live. What exactly made it worth it? What's so horrible about being dead forever, and not feeling anything, and not even dreaming? What's so great about feeling and dreaming? (p. 145)

Jack Paar photo

“Now that man can fly through the air like a bird … and swim in the sea like a fish, wouldn't it be wonderful if he could just walk the earth like a man?”

Jack Paar (1918–2004) American author, radio and television comedian and talk show host

My Saber is Bent http://books.google.com/books?id=MO-mqER9TrsC&q=%22Now+that+man+can+fly+through+the+air+like+a+bird%22+%22and+swim+in+the+sea+like+a+fish+wouldn't+it+be+wonderful+if+he+could+just+walk+the+earth+like+a+man%22&pg=PA79#v=onepage (1961)

Related topics