You'll never succeed in idealizing hard work. Before you can dig mother earth you've got to take off your ideal jacket. The harder a man works, at brute labor, the thinner becomes his idealism, the darker his mind.

Summary

This quote suggests that hard work and idealism do not necessarily go hand in hand. It implies that when one engages in physically demanding work, they become detached from their lofty ideals and their mindset becomes more pessimistic. The metaphorical "ideal jacket" represents the beliefs or illusions one holds onto, which must be abandoned in order to undertake laborious tasks. It implies that hard work can challenge and potentially dampen one's optimistic outlook, causing their mind to become darker and less hopeful.

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