Idleness Quotes

269 quotes by 179 authors

And to the English court assemble now, From every region, apes of idleness! — William Shakespeare
I rather would entreat thy company; To see the wonders of the world abroad, Than, living dully sluggardized at home, Wear out thy youth with… — William Shakespeare
The exquisite art of idleness, one of the most important things that any University can teach. — Oscar Wilde
Work is the best of narcotics, providing the patient be strong enough to take it. I dread idleness as if it were Hell. — Beatrice Webb
Boredom is a certain sign that we are allowing our faculties to rust in idleness. — William Ralph Inge
In the matter of piety, poverty serves us better than wealth, and work better than idleness, especially since wealth becomes an obstacle even for those… — Saint John Chrysostom
I am deeply moved when I write. I get turned on by it. I've never used any drugs for stimulation. I don't use words loosely.… — Saul Bellow
I was never comfortable with the risk of climbing in the Himalayas, or the amount of time in idleness that is involved in the Everest… — Steve Fossett
When I look back at the past and think of all the time I squandered in error and idleness,... then my heart bleeds. Life is… — Fyodor Dostoevsky
To blame the poor for subsisting on welfare has no justice unless we are also willing to judge every rich member of society by how… — Norman Mailer
Purity of mind and idleness are incompatible. — Mahatma Gandhi
The frivolous work of polished idleness. — James Mackintosh
There is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in work. Were he never so benighted, forgetful of his high calling, there is always hope in… — Thomas Carlyle
Surely nothing is more reproachful to a being endowed with reason, than to resign its powers to the influence of the air, and live in… — Samuel Johnson
Dreaming is a form of action. Idleness is a form of action. The idle man stares at the sky and sees what constitutes our eternal… — Philippe Starck
It is hard to rescue a man from the slough of luxury and idleness combined. If anything can do it, it is a cradle filled… — Anthony Trollope
Mrs. Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady called love, which is apt to ravage communities, spring and autumn, when winter… — Louisa May Alcott
This was sheer idleness to my fellow-townsmen, no doubt; but if the birds and flowers had tried me by their standard, I should not have… — Henry David Thoreau
I am suggesting that we spend a little less time in idleness, in the fruitless pursuit of watching inane and empty television programs. Time so… — Gordon B. Hinckley
I know of nothing that is so degenerating and so dangerous as idleness, for the brain will seek out mischief. — Francis M. Lyman

Who Wrote These Idleness Quotes

179 authors contributed a total of 269 Idleness Quotes, led by these top contributors: