Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Managing Editor David Abbott travels to Oxford, Alabama to visit RC Timber Company, LLC. On December 13, 1881, Czech diplomat and historian Konstantin Josef Jireček is said to have introduced this phrase to the world: “We, the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.” On December 15, 2015—a mere 134 years and two days after its origin—longtime logger Billy Ray Camp recited the quote from memory, verbatim. Camp is known for his quotable quotes. Somewhere along the way, he picked this one up. The saying has also been attributed to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and some Vietnam War protestors used it, though sometimes changing the opening to “We, the unwilling…” The quote has meant different things to different people, but when it made its way to the lips of a logger, it may have found its most appropriate application yet.

Featured Story: “On Down The Line”

Written By: David Abbott
Company: RC Timber Company, LLC
Location: Oxford, Alabama
SLT Issue: January 2016

Check out other featured articles in the January 2016 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times magazine.
Southern Loggin’ Times magazine’s January 2016 issue features Oxford, Alabama’s RC Timber Company, Deep Gap, North Carolina’s Moretz Brothers Logging, and Iuka, Mississippi’s Tim Cox Logging. A special article offers tips for getting more out of your truck and trailer tires. Other articles cover the latest industry news, logging business tips, and new machines and technology.