[Ads-l] Saying: Labor-saving devices don't save labor

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Canadian Journalist Doug Saunders of the Globe and Mail asked me to
explore the following saying:

No labour-saving device has ever saved anyone a moment's labour

This notion can be expressed in many ways; hence, it is difficult to
trace. John Stuart Mill articulated the central idea in 1848 although
he employed a different phrasing. Here is a link to the Quote
Investigator article followed by an overview with dates and
attributions:

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/07/20/save-labor/

1848: It is questionable if all the mechanical inventions yet made
have lightened the day’s toil of any human being (John Stuart Mill)

1869: All the contrivances of science and art for economy of labor do
not save labor, but stimulate production (C. Palfrey)

1885: All the labor-saving machinery that has hitherto been invented
has not lessened the toil of a single human being (Attributed to John
Stuart Mill by Henry George)

1900: No labor-saving invention has been used to save labor, but to
increase it (J. E. Jennings)

1905: Labor-saving devices don’t save labor. They increase it (Anonymous)

1929: Labor-saving devices don’t save labor which is proven by the
fact that men never worked as many days per annum or worked as
feverishly as they have since the advent of the labor-saving devices
(Adam Coaldigger)

1935: The plain fact is that labor-saving machinery doesn’t save labor
at all (Howard Vincent O’Brien)

1962: Labor-saving machinery had in fact not saved any labor
(Attributed to John Stuart Mill by August Heckscher)

1989: The fact is that a lot of labour-saving devices don’t really
save labour (Sue Birchmore)

2008: No labor-saving device has ever saved a minute of labor!
(Attributed to H. L. Mencken)

A separate QI article is focused on the 1848 statement written by
John Stuart Mill:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/07/21/machine-toil/

Feedback and illuminating citations would be welcome.
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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