[Ads-l] Quote: Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. (Attrib Abraham Lincoln)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Way back in March 2014 there was a thread about the saying in the
subject line. On September 26, 2022 Peter Reitan tweeted an excellent
new citation from 1945:

https://x.com/EsnpcB/status/1574528749621547008

[ref] 1945 January 2, Springfield Leader and Press, Jumping Preacher
Gives Students Success Ideas, Quote Page 6, Column 2, Springfield,
Missouri. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

https://www.newspapers.com/article/springfield-leader-and-press/110257773/

[Begin excerpt]
An example he gave for this case was that a very fast wood cutter was
once asked what he would do if he were told he had only five minutes
to cut down a tree, or die if he failed. “Well,” said the wood cutter
“I would spend three of the five minutes sharpening my ax.”
[End excerpt]

The Quote Investigator article has been updated and Peter has been acknowledged.

Quote Origin: To Cut Down a Tree in Five Minutes Spend Three Minutes
Sharpening Your Axe
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/03/29/sharp-axe/

Feedback welcome
Garson

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