Worry is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.

The simile argues that worry mimics productivity without producing progress. Like rocking in place, anxious rumination can feel like “doing something”—replaying scenarios, anticipating threats, rehearsing outcomes—yet it yields no forward movement or solution. The image also implies a kind of self-soothing motion: worry can become a habit that temporarily occupies the mind while keeping a person stuck. In Havner’s moral and religious register, the point is not merely psychological efficiency but spiritual direction: energy spent on worry should be redirected toward constructive action, prayer, and trust. The aphorism’s durability comes from its concrete, easily remembered picture of motion without advancement.