--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm not working on something, I seem…" description: "\"When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. It helps to keep busy.\" — Gene Wilder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/gene-wilder-3914_busy_when-i-m-not-working-on-something-i-seem_355587.png" --- # When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through… ![“When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. It helps to keep busy.” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/gene-wilder-3914_busy_when-i-m-not-working-on-something-i-seem_355587.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/gene-wilder-3914_busy_when-i-m-not-working-on-something-i-seem_355587.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/gene-wilder-3914_busy_when-i-m-not-working-on-something-i-seem_355587.png) > “When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. It helps to keep busy.” [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling idle can trigger depressive moods; staying occupied helps maintain mental health. **In simple terms:** Idle time can cause depression; staying busy helps. Key Takeaway Keep yourself productively engaged. Themes mental health productivity depression Mood reflective practical Type advice personal When to use this quote - work projects - creative hobbies - volunteering - exercise Key Concepts psychology self‑care Questions to Reflect On - What activities genuinely uplift you? - How can you balance rest and activity? A Different Perspective Busy work may become a distraction rather than a solution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) ## Related quotes > [In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/in-other-periods-of-depression-it-has-always-been-possible-to-see/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [When I've gone through those periods of depression or anxiety, it's almost like your body is telling you constantly with these panics that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-snyder/when-i-ve-gone-through-those-periods-of-depression-or-anxiety-it-s/) [Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-snyder/) > [I have had periods of depression in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-have-had-periods-of-depression-in-my-life/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I lie and say I'm busy or 'my parents wont let me' but really I just want to be alone .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddy-marie/i-lie-and-say-i-m-busy-or-my-parents-wont-let-me-but-really-i-just/) [Maddy Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddy-marie/) > [When you're on a roll, you want to stay busy - you want to keep that momentum going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-lawler/when-you-re-on-a-roll-you-want-to-stay-busy-you-want-to-keep-that/) [Robbie Lawler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-lawler/) > [I love making music so it's important for me to keep doing that even if the schedule is busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kiwanuka/i-love-making-music-so-it-s-important-for-me-to-keep-doing-that-even/) [Michael Kiwanuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kiwanuka/) > [I keep busy. That was my nickname in college, 'Iron to the Fire.' I like to keep several things going at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/creed-bratton/i-keep-busy-that-was-my-nickname-in-college-iron-to-the-fire-i-like/) [Creed Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/creed-bratton/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [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/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. 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 love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [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 ## More by Gene Wilder > [Dont put the sheep on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/dont-put-the-sheep-on-the-table/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [When your mother gives you confidence about anything that you do, you carry that confidence with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/when-your-mother-gives-you-confidence-about-anything-that-you-do-you/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I'm an actor, not a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-an-actor-not-a-clown/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ \[Gilda Radner\] died in '89, and I got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. I've just passed the five-year mark and I'm now what you call… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gilda-radner-died-in-89-and-i-got-non-hodgkin-s-lymphoma-in-2000-i-ve/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I like - it's not that I want to be someone different from me, but I suppose it partly is that. I love creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-like-it-s-not-that-i-want-to-be-someone-different-from-me-but-i/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I live in a small town in Connecticut, and they don't write scripts there, but I get them anyway because my agent is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-live-in-a-small-town-in-connecticut-and-they-don-t-write-scripts/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/little-surprises-around-every-corner-but-nothing-dangerous/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I don't like giving speeches. It makes me nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-don-t-like-giving-speeches-it-makes-me-nervous/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [On screen, Gene Wilder could often be summed up as an accident waiting to happen, that frizzy, flyaway hair, the eyes darting this way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/on-screen-gene-wilder-could-often-be-summed-up-as-an-accident-waiting/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Gene Wilder often said that his job as an actor wasn't to make something funny but to make it real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-often-said-that-his-job-as-an-actor-wasn-t-to-make/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [What I learned from Mel Brooks was audacity - in performance as in life. Maybe you go too far, but try it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/what-i-learned-from-mel-brooks-was-audacity-in-performance-as-in-life/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I'm going to tell you what my religion is. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-going-to-tell-you-what-my-religion-is-do-unto-others-as-you-would/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Gene Wilder characters wanted to be calm, but to the great delight of audiences, they rarely succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-characters-wanted-to-be-calm-but-to-the-great-delight-of/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I love acting, especially if it's a fantasy of some kind, where it's not just realistic, it's not naturalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-love-acting-especially-if-it-s-a-fantasy-of-some-kind-where-it-s/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [A lot of comic actors derive their main force from childish behavior. Most great comics are doing such silly things; you'd say, 'That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/a-lot-of-comic-actors-derive-their-main-force-from-childish-behavior/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) [Explore all 119 Gene Wilder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) ## More Busy quotes > [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 > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. 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. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/) [Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/) [Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/) > [“Get busy live'n, or get busy die'n”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-shawshank-redemption/get-busy-live-n-or-get-busy-die-n/) The Shawshank Redemption Browse all 3,372 Busy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. 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