We are so bound together that no man can labor for himself alone. Each blow he strikes in his own behalf helps to mold the universe.

Jerome’s aphorism frames human life as fundamentally interdependent: individual effort is never purely private, because actions ripple outward through social, moral, and even historical networks. The “bound together” image stresses mutual implication—our work, ambitions, and struggles inevitably affect others, whether by setting examples, altering institutions, consuming shared resources, or shifting cultural expectations. The second sentence elevates this idea into a quasi-cosmic register: every “blow” struck for oneself also “molds the universe,” suggesting that personal agency participates in shaping the larger world. The quote thus argues against isolating self-interest from communal consequence, implying an ethical responsibility to recognize the wider impact of one’s pursuits.