1748
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
20
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LONDON, July, 20, O. S.
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
activitynounUS /ækˈtɪvəti/
any specific behavior
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
attainedadjectiveUS /əˈteɪnd/
achieved or reached
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
bottomnounUS /ˈbɑːtəm/
the lower side of anything
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
BOYnounUS /bɔɪ/
a youthful male person
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
commonlyadverbUS /ˈkɑːmənli/
under normal conditions
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
consequentlyadverbUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwəntli/
(sentence connectors) because of the reason given
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
considerableadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪdərəbəl/
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
contentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/
dearly loved
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
degreenounUS /dɪˈɡriː/
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
difficultiesnounUS /ˈdɪfəkəltiz/
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
discouragedadjectiveUS /dɪˈskɜːrədʒd/
made less hopeful or enthusiastic
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
easyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/
one or the other of two
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
everadverbUS /ˈevər/
at any time
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
excuseverbUS /ɪksˈkjuːs/
accept an excuse for
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
frivolousadjectiveUS /ˈfrɪvələs/
not serious in content or attitude or behavior
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
the act of departing
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
hindersverbUS /ˈhɪndərz/
third-person singular of “hinder” — be a hindrance or obstacle to
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
hopenounUS /hoʊp/
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
ignorancenounUS /ˈɪɡnərəns/
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
impossibilities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
industrynounUS /ˈɪndəstri/
the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
JulynounUS /ˌdʒuːˈlaɪ/
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading LONDON, July, 20, O. S.
knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
lazinessnounUS /ˈleɪzinəs/
inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
lazyadjectiveUS /ˈleɪzi/
moving slowly and gently
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
leastadjectiveUS /liːst/
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading LONDON, July, 20, O. S.
makesnounUS /meɪks/
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
meanverbUS /miːn/
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
mindnounUS /maɪnd/
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
mostadverbUS /moʊst/
used to form the superlative
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/
not one and not the other of two
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
OnounUS /oʊ/
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading LONDON, July, 20, O. S.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
prefersverbUS /prəˈfɜːrz/
third-person singular of “prefer” — like better; value more highly
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
pretendverbUS /priˈtend/
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
representverbUS /ˌreprɪˈzent/
take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
ridiculousadjectiveUS /rɪˈdɪkjələs/
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
SnounUS /es/
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading LONDON, July, 20, O. S.
seemverbUS /siːm/
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
sortsnounUS /sɔːrts/
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
stopsnounUS /stɑːps/
a gambling card game in which chips are placed on the ace and king and queen and jack of separate suits (taken from a separate deck)
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
superficialadjectiveUS /ˌsuːpərˈfɪʃəl/
concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
takeverbUS /teɪk/
carry out
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
ThereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
triflingnounUS /ˈtraɪflɪŋ/
the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/
a source of difficulty
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
twonounUS /tuː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
understandingsnounUS /ˌʌndərˈstændɪŋz/
plural of “understanding” — the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
waynounUS /weɪ/
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But difficulties seem to them, impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so--by way of excuse for their laziness.
whereasconjunctionUS /weˈræz/
in contrast with the fact that
From this reading These people either think, or represent most things as impossible; whereas, few things are so to industry and activity.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
worthnounUS /wɜːrθ/
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some), stops short, contents, itself with easy, and consequently superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble.
YourspronounUS /jʊrz/
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading 1748 DEAR BOY: There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable, and the other commonly makes him ridiculous; I mean the lazy mind, and the trifling, frivolous mind: Yours, I hope, is neither.
