Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be prosperous. Though the land be good, You cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation.

Rich soil requires the spade

We live in an age of shortcuts and hacks, yet this ancient wisdom keeps circling back: there's no substitute for showing up and doing the work. The quote uses farming as its metaphor, and it's perfect because farming makes the brutal truth obvious. You can own the richest soil on earth, but if you never plant seeds or pull weeds, you'll harvest nothing. We somehow expect different results in our careers, relationships, and personal growth.

The trickier part is that Plato mentions "both now and in the next life"—which speaks to something we do recognize today, even if we're not thinking about the afterlife. It's the long game that matters. We want to feel prosperous right away, but actual prosperity—the kind that lasts and compounds—builds slowly through small, repeated efforts. A single workout won't change your body. One day of kindness won't repair a broken relationship. One chapter won't finish the book.

What makes this advice sting a little is how it removes the excuses. Bad luck exists, sure. But the quote suggests that most of our lack comes from simple non-cultivation. We'd rather believe we're waiting for the right conditions than admit we haven't put in the spade work yet.