--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no better ballast for keeping…" description: "\"There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on its keel, and saving it from all risk of crankiness, than business.\" — James Russell Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png" --- # There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on… ![“There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on its keel, and saving it from all risk of crankiness, than business.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png) > “There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on its keel, and saving it from all risk of crankiness, than business.” [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging in work steadies thoughts, preventing irritability and mental turbulence. **In simple terms:** Work steadies the mind. Key Takeaway Pursue purposeful work. Themes stability focus productivity Mood calm focused Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - career - daily routine - stress management - creative projects Key Concepts psychology work ethic Questions to Reflect On - How does work affect your mood? - Can leisure also provide steadiness? A Different Perspective Work alone may not cure deep emotional issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballast/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Crankiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crankiness/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) ## Related quotes > [“Nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose- a point on which the soul can focus its intellectual eye”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/nothing-contributes-so-much-to-tranquillize-the-mind-as-a-steady/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-contributes-so-much-to-tranquilizing-the-mind-as-a-steady/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/nothing-contributes-so-much-to-tranquilize-the-mind-as-a-steady/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven, for nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-feel-my-heart-glow-with-an-enthusiasm-which-elevates-me-to-heaven/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [A stable mind is like the hub of a wheel. The world may spin around you, but the mind is steady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/a-stable-mind-is-like-the-hub-of-a-wheel-the-world-may-spin-around/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [We have known for a long time that Prince Charles' empty sails are so rigged as to be swelled by any passing waft or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-have-known-for-a-long-time-that-prince-charles-empty-sails-are-so/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ They \[leftists\] want to eliminate the concept of winners and losers. They want to wipe out the fact that there are any differences, particularly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/they-leftists-want-to-eliminate-the-concept-of-winners-and-losers/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“The day we finally hold ourselves accountable, rather than putting the blame on others, and come clean about our responsibilities, we unfetter ourselves from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-day-we-finally-hold-ourselves-accountable-rather-than-putting-the/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Variety, individuality, peculiarity, eccentricity and indeed crankiness are agreeable to the British mind; they make life more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/variety-individuality-peculiarity-eccentricity-and-indeed-crankiness/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Seeing their bad side, their mood swings, and their crankiness, yet still wanting to be with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-their-bad-side-their-mood-swings-and-their-crankiness-yet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Crankiness is at the essence of all comedy. My wife and I were discussing the different types of cranky. There's entertaining cranky, annoying cranky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/crankiness-is-at-the-essence-of-all-comedy-my-wife-and-i-were/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [You know, crankiness is at the essence of all comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/you-know-crankiness-is-at-the-essence-of-all-comedy/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [“It's easy to like someone from a distance. But when she stopped being this amazing unattainable thing or whatever, and started being, like, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-s-easy-to-like-someone-from-a-distance-but-when-she-stopped-being/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I was only twelve, but through the slow, inevitable burn of a thousand sunrises and sunsets, a thousand maps traced and retraced, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-was-only-twelve-but-through-the-slow-inevitable-burn-of-a-thousand/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [Crankiness is a human attribute that, when people walk in the door of Xerox, they remain human. The best way to get the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-burns/crankiness-is-a-human-attribute-that-when-people-walk-in-the-door-of/) [Ursula Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-burns/) ## More by James Russell Lowell > [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. The milestones into headstones change, Neath every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/as-life-runs-on-the-road-grows-strange-with-faces-new-and-near-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/where-one-person-shapes-their-life-by-precept-and-example-there-are-a/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [O reputation! dearer far than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/o-reputation-dearer-far-than-life/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Keats longed for fame, but longed above all to deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/keats-longed-for-fame-but-longed-above-all-to-deserve-it/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls, like those far stars that come in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-may-be-glorious-to-write-thoughts-that-shall-glad-the-two-or-three/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is the vain endeavor to make ourselves what we are not that has strewn history with so many broken purposes and lives left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-the-vain-endeavor-to-make-ourselves-what-we-are-not-that-has/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Take winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow; with no nonsense in him, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/take-winter-as-you-find-him-and-he-turns-out-to-be-a-thoroughly/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The intellect has only one failing, which, to be sure, is a very considerable one. It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) [Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## More Ballast quotes > [ The more modest its intellectual ballast, the more exclusively it takes into consideration the emotions of the masses, the more effective \[propaganda\] will be. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-more-modest-its-intellectual-ballast-the-more-exclusively-it/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Praise a fool, and slay him; for the canvas of his vanity is spread; His bark is shallow in the water, and a sudden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/praise-a-fool-and-slay-him-for-the-canvas-of-his-vanity-is-spread-his/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [The mind must have for ballast the clear conception of duty, if it is not to fluctuate between levity and despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/the-mind-must-have-for-ballast-the-clear-conception-of-duty-if-it-is/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Hatred is the ballast of the rock which lies upon our necks and underfoot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/hatred-is-the-ballast-of-the-rock-which-lies-upon-our-necks-and/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [A hot air balloon requires a great deal of fuel to keep it aloft, so that you can't fly it even for one day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fossett/a-hot-air-balloon-requires-a-great-deal-of-fuel-to-keep-it-aloft-so/) [Steve Fossett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fossett/) > [A vow imparts stability, ballast and firmness to one's character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-vow-imparts-stability-ballast-and-firmness-to-one-s-character/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [My remembrance of the past is a novel I am constantly recomposing; and it would not be a historical novel, but sheer fiction, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/my-remembrance-of-the-past-is-a-novel-i-am-constantly-recomposing-and/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Somehow this literary genre, which most people condemned, acted as a sort of counterbalance to Charles's soul; it was the ballast that prevented him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lix-j-palma/somehow-this-literary-genre-which-most-people-condemned-acted-as-a/) [Félix J. Palma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-lix-j-palma/) > [Habit is the ballast that chains the dog to his vomit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/habit-is-the-ballast-that-chains-the-dog-to-his-vomit/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“The boat—no, it was a ship, as one of the crew had explained, since it had a solid superstructure and was stabilized by ballast,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-chalker/the-boat-no-it-was-a-ship-as-one-of-the-crew-had-explained-since-it/) [Jack L. Chalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-l-chalker/) > [Wit gives an edge to sense, and recommends it extremely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/wit-gives-an-edge-to-sense-and-recommends-it-extremely/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Her purse was a weight, ballast; it tethered her to the earth as her mind floated away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/her-purse-was-a-weight-ballast-it-tethered-her-to-the-earth-as-her/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It becomes necessary to learn how to clear the mind of all clouds, to free it of all useless ballast and debris by dismissing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indra-devi/it-becomes-necessary-to-learn-how-to-clear-the-mind-of-all-clouds-to/) [Indra Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indra-devi/) > [“No point carrying useless ballast. It won't change a thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/no-point-carrying-useless-ballast-it-won-t-change-a-thing/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Ignorance and prejudice are the ballast of our ship of state - however, ships without ballast are not seaworthy and cannot sail in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/ignorance-and-prejudice-are-the-ballast-of-our-ship-of-state-however/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) [Browse all 33 Ballast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on its keel, and saving it from all risk of crankiness, than business.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Russell Lowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-the-mind-steady-on-its-keel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ballast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-the-mind-steady-on-its-keel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ef/james-russell-lowell-561_ballast_there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-t_1987342.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no better ballast for keeping the mind steady on its keel, and saving it from all risk of…” — James Russell Lowell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Russell Lowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no better ballast for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-the-mind-steady-on-its-keel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/there-is-no-better-ballast-for-keeping-the-mind-steady-on-its-keel/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```