We no longer sing and dance. We don't know how to. Instead, we watch other people sing and dance on the television screen. Christmas, which was once a festival of active enjoyment, has turned into a binge of purely passive… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
We think we have to work because the advertising industry has elevated wants into needs. The newspapers and the television batter us incessantly with the latest 'must-haves', whether that's shoes, videogames or patio heaters. As a result, mums think they… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
By taking out a loan, I am committing myself to years of interest repayments, and therefore to years of wage slavery. And the UK… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
Writing a book is a brilliant thing because once you've finished it, you've done it, and there's the potential for it to go on… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
Truly, the bench is a boon to idlers. Whoever first came up with the idea is a genius: free public resting places where you… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
Beauty, pleasure, freedom and plenty of sleep: these are the hallmarks of a successful idler's break. Travel should not be hard work. — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
These days we seem more bound to our bosses than ever before. We even identify our own selves with the jobs we do: 'What… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
The way to stop feeling guilty is to read stuff - I'm not saying my book, but works by Bertrand Russell or Oscar Wilde,… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
The idea of a government is to create an ordered, willing work force where there's no trouble. I think idlers are generally seen as… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
When stuck years ago in a job I hated, my only friend was the public bench. As the tedious mornings dragged on, how I… — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
Pain will never leave us. Instead of putting energy into destroying pain, we need to put energy into creating pleasure. — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
Sensible people advise against drinking on an empty stomach, but to my mind it is the best sort of drinking. — Tom Hodgkinson Copy Share Image
