If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does

The expression If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does is introduced as a compact, wry claim about efficiency: the world would move faster if people confined themselves to their own affairs. In conversation, its force comes as much from the evasive, playful attribution as from the maxim itself.

The Saying in Conversation

Spenser delivers the expression at dinner after saying he cannot promise anything. The narrative does not explain whether the aphorism directly answers that reservation; instead, it lets the remark sit within an exchange of social banter. Its polished generality contrasts with the immediate conversation, turning a personal uncertainty into a broad observation about how people conduct themselves.

Attribution and Tone

When Weinberg asks who said it, Spenser answers only that it was a powerful woman. No name or further explanation is supplied, so the authority behind the saying remains suggestive rather than documented. Weinberg accepts the description and calls the unnamed speaker smart, treating the line as both an effective maxim and a cue for teasing admiration. The exchange gives the expression a light, knowing tone without settling who its source was or precisely whom it addresses.