idleness is the ideal of genius, and indolence the virtue…

There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…

— Maria Edgeworth

“Reality has a tendency to reveal itself when man is idle, and so it is because of this that idleness is often regarded as…

— VD

Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.

— Soren Kierkegaard

Great talents, by the rust of long disuse, Grow lethargic and shrink from what they were.

— Ovid

There is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in work. Were he never so benighted, forgetful of his high calling, there is always hope…

— Thomas Carlyle

The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth The freckled cowslip, burnet, and green clover, Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank, Conceives by idleness,…

— William Shakespeare

Idleness is paralysis.

— Roswell Dwight Hitchcock

“Liza had a finely developed sense of sin Idleness was a sin, and card playing, which was a kind of idleness to her. She…

— John Steinbeck

Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb

— Robertson Davies

“Doing nothing is the hardest torture that a person can put himself through. For he is always brought face to face with his own…

— Iwan Goll

We are more heavily taxed by our idleness, pride and folly than we are taxed by government.

— Benjamin Franklin

The frivolous work of polished idleness.

— James Mackintosh

“Virtue? A fig! 'Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.…

— William Shakespeare

“Idleness is seductive. Just relax and do nothing, it says.”

— Innocent Mwatsikesimbe

Let us be grateful to Adam: he cut us out of the blessing of idleness and won for us the curse of labor.

— Mark Twain