Idle Quotes

438 Idle quotes by 328 unique authors

The study of geometry is a petty and idle exercise of the mind, if it is applied to no larger system than the starry one.… — Henry David Thoreau
It is idle to expect any great advancement in science from the superinducing and engrafting of new things upon old. We must begin anew from… — Francis Bacon
What does Reverence for Life say abut the relations between [humanity] and the animal world? Whenever I injury any kind of life I must be… — Albert Schweitzer
Worse than idle is compassion if it ends in tears and sighs. — William Wordsworth
Soup simmering, music of idle gossip, yammering kids, domestic chaos - long adjusted to this rolling scene, you show them your lofty calm. — Gottfried Keller
If it is impossible to judge merit and guilt in the field of natural science, then it is not possible in any field, and historical… — Justus von Liebig
I listen to a little Marina & The Diamonds. She has a song called 'Teen Idle' that I really like. — Lana Del Rey
Do not sit idle, for indeed death is seeking you — Hasan of Basra
People count with self-satisfaction the number of times they have recited the name of God on their prayer beads, but they keep no beads for… — Al-Ghazali
Young people ought not to be idle, it is very bad for them. — Margaret Thatcher
The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind are to be acquired and strengthened by it,… — Benjamin Franklin
Man's home is nature; his purposes and aims are dependent for execution upon natural conditions. Separated from such conditions they become empty dreams and idle… — John Dewey
There are endless ways to amuse oneself and be idle, and most of them lie outside the woods. I assume that when a man goes… — Wendell Berry
Thanks be to God, since my leaving drinking of wine, I do find myself much better, and do mind my business better, and do spend… — Samuel Pepys
It had been held that the economic system, any capitalist system, found its equilibrium at full employment. Left to itself, it was thus that it… — John Kenneth Galbraith
Ruin seize thee, ruthless king! Confusion on thy banners wait! Though fann'd by Conquest's crimson wing, They mock the air with idle state. — Thomas Gray
It is in vain to hope to guard against events too mighty for human foresight or precaution, and it would be idle to object to… — Alexander Hamilton
As peace is the end of war, so to be idle is the ultimate purpose of the busy. — Samuel Johnson
There is nothing worse than an idle hour, with no occupation offering. People who have many such hours are simply animals waiting docilely for death.… — H. L. Mencken
He rides in the row at ten o clock in the morning, goes to the Opera three times a week, changes his clothes at least… — Oscar Wilde
Adventurers tend to prance about the ladder of success, fearing less the sensation of a great fall than the humility of hanging idle. — Mike Caro
Once I knew that I wanted to be an artist, I had made myself into one. I did not understand that wanting doesn't always lead… — Judy Chicago
But there's not enough time in life to go sit at a party, have a drink, and make idle conversation. There's too many important things… — Pia Zadora
Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery, like the idle, curved tunnels of leaf miners on the face of a leaf — Annie Dillard
It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This nation is freedom's home, and freedom's defender. We… — George W. Bush

Who Wrote These Idle Quotes

328 authors contributed a total of 438 Idle Quotes, led by these top contributors: