Q0376
“It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are…” — Talmudic tradition (Mishnah Avot 2: 16)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Mishnah Avot 2: 16. Theme: responsibility.
English
It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Mishnah Avot 2: 16 and files it under Rabbinic Judaism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Talmudic tradition
Talmudic tradition appears in this archive through verified English quotations associated with the Rabbinic Judaism tradition. Biographical certainty varies by figure and text; where the “author” is a scripture or school anthology, read the name as a traditional attribution rather than a modern individual biography.
Interpretation
The mishnah holds two claims together that are usually separated. You are not required to complete the task, which releases you from the despair of insufficiency; you are not permitted to abandon it, which refuses you the relief of exemption. The sentence is addressed to people working on something they will not finish, and it is meant to make that condition sustainable. Its force comes from denying both the heroic and the resigned reading.
Why it matters
It is the clearest statement available of how to work on a long problem: measure by contribution rather than completion, without conceding that contribution is optional.
Concepts in this quote
- Responsibility
- Responsibility asks what we answer for—our choices, omissions, institutions, and the futures we help create.
- Limits
- Limits appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat limits as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Talmudic tradition. (n.d.). It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0376
MLA: Talmudic tradition. “It is not your duty to finish the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0376.
Chicago: Talmudic tradition. “It is not your duty to finish the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0376.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “It is not your duty to finish the…”?
The passage is attributed to Talmudic tradition, Mishnah Avot 2: 16. The archive attributes this English wording to Mishnah Avot 2: 16 and files it under Rabbinic Judaism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Talmudic tradition mean by responsibility?
Philosophical debates cover free will, blame, collective responsibility, and duties to distant others. Technology and AI revive the question of who is accountable when systems act. This passage enters that discussion through responsibility, limits.