"The biggest labor problem is tomorrow"
About this Quote
Tomorrow is where authority goes to hide its hard truths. Brigham Youngs line is blunt on the surface - the next day brings the next wage dispute, the next shortage, the next round of bargaining - but its real power is predictive and disciplinary. It turns labor from a solvable issue into an ever-renewing condition, a weather system you manage rather than a conflict you settle.
The intent lands inside Youngs world of building: a religious community trying to carve stability out of scarcity, coordinating migration, agriculture, construction, and commerce under centralized leadership. In that context, labor isnt just employment; its survival logistics and moral order. Calling tomorrow the biggest problem is a way of framing work as perpetual obligation, not a temporary bargain. The subtext: if you think youve earned rest, youve misunderstood the project.
Rhetorically, its effective because it yanks the listener out of complacency. It denies the fantasy of completion - the idea that one good harvest, one finished temple, one settled contract ends the strain. That denial can read as realism or as a calculated refusal to let workers set the terms of satisfaction. It also shields leadership from accountability: if the biggest problem is always tomorrow, todays failures become merely the prelude to the next necessary push.
Young compresses an entire governance style into six words: plan relentlessly, demand continuity, and keep the future as leverage.
The intent lands inside Youngs world of building: a religious community trying to carve stability out of scarcity, coordinating migration, agriculture, construction, and commerce under centralized leadership. In that context, labor isnt just employment; its survival logistics and moral order. Calling tomorrow the biggest problem is a way of framing work as perpetual obligation, not a temporary bargain. The subtext: if you think youve earned rest, youve misunderstood the project.
Rhetorically, its effective because it yanks the listener out of complacency. It denies the fantasy of completion - the idea that one good harvest, one finished temple, one settled contract ends the strain. That denial can read as realism or as a calculated refusal to let workers set the terms of satisfaction. It also shields leadership from accountability: if the biggest problem is always tomorrow, todays failures become merely the prelude to the next necessary push.
Young compresses an entire governance style into six words: plan relentlessly, demand continuity, and keep the future as leverage.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work |
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