--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can remain with absolutely nothing…" description: "\"“If you can remain with absolutely nothing to do for even a short period of time - that’s a taste of freedom. Being busy is ok, not being busy is also ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/art-hochberg-1133_freedom_if-you-can-remain-with-absolutely-nothin_1148962.jpg" --- # If you can remain with absolutely nothing to do for even a… ![“If you can remain with absolutely nothing to do for even a short period of time - that’s a taste of freedom. Being busy is ok, not being busy is also ok. Not caring whether you’re busy or not busy is really ok.” quote by Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/art-hochberg-1133_freedom_if-you-can-remain-with-absolutely-nothin_1148962.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/art-hochberg-1133_freedom_if-you-can-remain-with-absolutely-nothin_1148962.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/art-hochberg-1133_freedom_if-you-can-remain-with-absolutely-nothin_1148962.jpg) > ““If you can remain with absolutely nothing to do for even a short period of time - that’s a taste of freedom. Being busy is ok, not being busy is also ok. Not caring whether you’re busy or not busy is really ok.”” [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom can be found in both activity and idleness; the key is not to be attached to either state. **In simple terms:** Both busyness and idleness are okay if you accept them. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility in how you spend time. Themes mindfulness freedom productivity balance acceptance Mood calm contemplative Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - workplace - creative projects - personal downtime - mental health - life planning Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does freedom look like for you? - How do you decide when to be busy or idle? A Different Perspective Constant busyness can still cause stress; idleness may lead to stagnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy/) [Busy Ok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-ok-3238644/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-busy-3238643/) [Ok Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ok-busy-3238645/) [Taste Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste-freedom-440425/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Being able to be myself was like being able to exhale for the first time after holding my breath for years. It’s only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/404-ink/being-able-to-be-myself-was-like-being-able-to-exhale-for-the-first/) [404 Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/404-ink/) > [“. Sometimes a person needs a taste of freedom to realize they have never been free. After, they can never go back to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karpov-kinrade/sometimes-a-person-needs-a-taste-of-freedom-to-realize-they-have/) [Karpov Kinrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karpov-kinrade/) > [They can't conspect you for anything! You taste that? That's freedom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-can-t-conspect-you-for-anything-you-taste-that-that-s-freedom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What else must we do and say? What else must the oppressed do for a taste of freedom?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malebo-sephodi/what-else-must-we-do-and-say-what-else-must-the-oppressed-do-for-a/) [Malebo Sephodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malebo-sephodi/) > [Once people enjoy the taste of freedom, there is no turning back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-bush/once-people-enjoy-the-taste-of-freedom-there-is-no-turning-back/) [Neil Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-bush/) > [Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so too there is but one taste fundamental to all true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/just-as-the-great-oceans-have-but-one-taste-the-taste-of-salt-so-too/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [He who did not taste Freedom on Earth, will not know it in Heaven!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/he-who-did-not-taste-freedom-on-earth-will-not-know-it-in-heaven/) [Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/) > [Why this cult of wilderness?... because we like the taste of freedom; because we like the smell of danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/why-this-cult-of-wilderness-because-we-like-the-taste-of-freedom/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“The revolution of the United States was the result of a mature and dignified taste for freedom, and not of a vague or ill-defined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-revolution-of-the-united-states-was-the-result-of-a-mature-and/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“all 'people of one blood' who made homeplace in isolated landscapes where they could invent themselves, where they could savor a taste of freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/all-people-of-one-blood-who-made-homeplace-in-isolated-landscapes/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [My summer tip is to taste the freedom given by the long days - and by the holidays!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/my-summer-tip-is-to-taste-the-freedom-given-by-the-long-days-and-by/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [“Have you ever noticed that people sometimes quit a job soon after returning from a vacation? We all have a higher tolerance for frustrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/have-you-ever-noticed-that-people-sometimes-quit-a-job-soon-after/) [Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/) > [Each night within his prison cell, he looks out through the bars. He reads the letters that she wrote. One day he'll know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nightwish/each-night-within-his-prison-cell-he-looks-out-through-the-bars-he/) [Nightwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nightwish/) > [“People who newly taste freedom tend to act excessively.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/people-who-newly-taste-freedom-tend-to-act-excessively/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/) [Victoria Derbyshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-derbyshire/) ## More by Art Hochberg > [“How do the eyes see? I don’t think the scientists have a clue about that one. There is a science within science – that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/how-do-the-eyes-see-i-don-t-think-the-scientists-have-a-clue-about/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“Join up the different aspects of yourself – sort of like a team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/join-up-the-different-aspects-of-yourself-sort-of-like-a-team/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“The more we cling to the known, the more fearful we are of the unknown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/the-more-we-cling-to-the-known-the-more-fearful-we-are-of-the-unknown/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“A big part of wisdom is to learn which situations to get involved in, or not get involved in – it really is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/a-big-part-of-wisdom-is-to-learn-which-situations-to-get-involved-in/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“Believe your life has value and you are here for a purpose. 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It requires diving deep into the moment and bringing up that contentment which lies deep within us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/contentment-hmmmmmmmmm-that-s-a-really-deep-one-it-requires-diving/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“Sometimes instead of creating a scene it’s better to quietly slip out of the scene, practically unseen. It saves a lot of drama, unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/sometimes-instead-of-creating-a-scene-it-s-better-to-quietly-slip-out/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“When you smell a flower, where is the smell before you smell the flower? Think about that one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/when-you-smell-a-flower-where-is-the-smell-before-you-smell-the/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“Don't try to be like the Guru - be yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/don-t-try-to-be-like-the-guru-be-yourself/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“I don’t think that God cares about what you think. It’s the actions that count. 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At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. 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