--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How happy he whose toil Has o'er his…" description: "\"How happy he whose toil Has o'er his languid pow'rless limbs diffus'd A pleasing lassitude; he not in vain Invokes the gentle Deity of dreams. His pow'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-armstrong-11802_deities_how-happy-he-whose-toil-has-o-er-his-lan_1912863.jpg" --- # How happy he whose toil Has o'er his languid pow'rless… ![“How happy he whose toil Has o'er his languid pow'rless limbs diffus'd A pleasing lassitude; he not in vain Invokes the gentle Deity of dreams. His pow'rs the most voluptuously dissolve In soft repose; on him the balmy dews Of Sleep with double nutriment descend.” quote by John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-armstrong-11802_deities_how-happy-he-whose-toil-has-o-er-his-lan_1912863.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-armstrong-11802_deities_how-happy-he-whose-toil-has-o-er-his-lan_1912863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-armstrong-11802_deities_how-happy-he-whose-toil-has-o-er-his-lan_1912863.jpg) > “How happy he whose toil Has o'er his languid pow'rless limbs diffus'd A pleasing lassitude; he not in vain Invokes the gentle Deity of dreams. His pow'rs the most voluptuously dissolve In soft repose; on him the balmy dews Of Sleep with double nutriment descend.” [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding peace in surrender allows the soul to rejuvenate and dream. **In simple terms:** Rest renews. Key Takeaway Embrace calm. Themes tranquility dreams renewal Mood calm contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - sleep hygiene - creative brainstorming - stress relief Key Concepts psychology poetry spirituality Questions to Reflect On - When do you need active effort? - How does rest inspire creativity? A Different Perspective Over‑relaxation may hinder productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deities/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Gentle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle/) [POW](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pow/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Toil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toil/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) ## Related quotes > [Then love of pleasure sways each heart, and we From that no more than from ourselves can fly. Blameless when govern'd well. But where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/then-love-of-pleasure-sways-each-heart-and-we-from-that-no-more-than/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [We know great Nature's pow'r, Mother of things, whose vast unbounded sway From the deep centre all around extends Wide to the flaming barriers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/we-know-great-nature-s-pow-r-mother-of-things-whose-vast-unbounded/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I state for the record that I have never sought funds from any POW family, nor led them to believe in any way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-gritz/i-state-for-the-record-that-i-have-never-sought-funds-from-any-pow/) [Bo Gritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-gritz/) > [I talk to hundreds of companies a year and spend hour after hour in heady pow-wows with CEOs, financial analysts and my colleagues in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/i-talk-to-hundreds-of-companies-a-year-and-spend-hour-after-hour-in/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [If the Spray discovered no continents on her voyage, it may be that there were no more continents to be discovered. She did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-slocum/if-the-spray-discovered-no-continents-on-her-voyage-it-may-be-that/) [Joshua Slocum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-slocum/) > [“The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r, And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave Awaits alike the inevitable hour: The paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gray/the-boast-of-heraldry-the-pomp-of-pow-r-and-all-that-beauty-all-that/) [Thomas Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gray/) > [Being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/being-a-pow-certainly-doesn-t-qualify-anyone-to-be-president/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [When I finished my last job, at Global Crossing, it was the first time in God knows how many years that I wasn't in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-j-legere/when-i-finished-my-last-job-at-global-crossing-it-was-the-first-time/) [John J. Legere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-j-legere/) > [Senator John McCain, who spent over five years in a Vietnamese POW camp, publicly releases 1,000 pages of medical records. Now people are left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/senator-john-mccain-who-spent-over-five-years-in-a-vietnamese-pow/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Sometimes, to stimulate your imagination you have to be careful you don't have too much information. You can Google something, and it's in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dries-van-noten/sometimes-to-stimulate-your-imagination-you-have-to-be-careful-you/) [Dries van Noten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dries-van-noten/) > [I didn't equate a POW camp with a concentration camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hovis/i-didn-t-equate-a-pow-camp-with-a-concentration-camp/) [Larry Hovis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hovis/) > [Receive, dear friend, the truths I teach, So shalt thou live beyond the reach Of adverse Fortune's pow'r; Not always tempt the distant deep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/receive-dear-friend-the-truths-i-teach-so-shalt-thou-live-beyond-the/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [I've buried six Guardian Angels who have been shot and killed in the line of duty. I was stalked myself, had a gunman go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sliwa/i-ve-buried-six-guardian-angels-who-have-been-shot-and-killed-in-the/) [Curtis Sliwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sliwa/) > [So over time, playing shows - after every show we would have pow-wow, I would have notes and we'd go over and we'd really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-knowles/so-over-time-playing-shows-after-every-show-we-would-have-pow-wow-i/) [Solange Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-knowles/) > [I have a couple of acting projects coming up but Pow Pow Family Band is very much an ongoing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-robbins/i-have-a-couple-of-acting-projects-coming-up-but-pow-pow-family-band/) [Miles Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-robbins/) ## More by John Armstrong > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Virtue and sense are one; and, trust me, still A faithless heart betrays the head unsound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/virtue-and-sense-are-one-and-trust-me-still-a-faithless-heart-betrays/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [He knows enough, the mariner, who knows Where lurk the shelves, and where the whirlpools boil, What signs portend the storm: to subtler minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/he-knows-enough-the-mariner-who-knows-where-lurk-the-shelves-and/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Tis not too late to-morrow to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/tis-not-too-late-to-morrow-to-be-brave/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [What Nature bids is good, is wise, and faultless we obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/what-nature-bids-is-good-is-wise-and-faultless-we-obey/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [“But mostly what we think of as the 'meaning' of life concerns the style of the private autobiography we each write and which records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/but-mostly-what-we-think-of-as-the-meaning-of-life-concerns-the-style/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [You can't help people that don't want to be helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/you-can-t-help-people-that-don-t-want-to-be-helped/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [The most beautiful form of compromise is forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/the-most-beautiful-form-of-compromise-is-forgiveness/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [We know great Nature's pow'r, Mother of things, whose vast unbounded sway From the deep centre all around extends Wide to the flaming barriers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/we-know-great-nature-s-pow-r-mother-of-things-whose-vast-unbounded/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Much had he read, Much more had he seen; he studied from the life, And in th' original perus'd mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/much-had-he-read-much-more-had-he-seen-he-studied-from-the-life-and/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Our greatest good, and what we least can spare, Is hope: the last of all our evils, fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/our-greatest-good-and-what-we-least-can-spare-is-hope-the-last-of-all/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Virtue, the strength and beauty of the soul, Is the best gift of Heaven: a happiness That even above the smiles and frowns of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/virtue-the-strength-and-beauty-of-the-soul-is-the-best-gift-of-heaven/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [The blood, the fountain whence the spirits flow The generous stream that waters every part, And motion, vigor, and warm life conveys To every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/the-blood-the-fountain-whence-the-spirits-flow-the-generous-stream/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [One’s relationship with money is lifelong, it colors one’s sense of identity, it shapes one’s attitude to other people, it connects and splits generations;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/one-s-relationship-with-money-is-lifelong-it-colors-one-s-sense-of/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [“Sincerity is only as good as what we are sincere about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/sincerity-is-only-as-good-as-what-we-are-sincere-about/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) [Explore all 58 John Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) ## More Deities quotes > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [In the interests of everyone the artist had a responsibility to use his medium well. In the Tibetan culture, most of the paintings are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/in-the-interests-of-everyone-the-artist-had-a-responsibility-to-use/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The moral perfections of the Deity, the more attentively, we consider, the more perfectly still shall we know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-moral-perfections-of-the-deity-the-more-attentively-we-consider/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [No parent can consistently teach faith in Christ who profanes the name of Deity. Profanity is never heard in the well-ordered home. Swearing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/no-parent-can-consistently-teach-faith-in-christ-who-profanes-the/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [It is by far the most elegant worship, hardly excepting the Greek mythology. What with incense, pictures, statues, altars, shrines, relics, and the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/it-is-by-far-the-most-elegant-worship-hardly-excepting-the-greek/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [If I had to choose between the two ways of approaching the deity, I should prefer the existential relational way, to the abstract philosophical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/if-i-had-to-choose-between-the-two-ways-of-approaching-the-deity-i/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [When you enter a grove peopled with ancient trees, higher than the ordinary, and shutting out the sky with their thickly inter-twined branches, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-enter-a-grove-peopled-with-ancient-trees-higher-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is insane," I said blankly. "I'm the instrument of an all-powerful primordial deity's wave of chaos and destruction." "That's kind of extreme" said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/this-is-insane-i-said-blankly-i-m-the-instrument-of-an-all-powerful/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [The difference of the English and Irish character is nowhere more plainly discerned than in their respective kitchens. With the former, this apartment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/the-difference-of-the-english-and-irish-character-is-nowhere-more/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [In my personal view, a failure to discover unimagined objects and answer unasked questions, once HST functions properly, would indicate a lack of imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-bahcall/in-my-personal-view-a-failure-to-discover-unimagined-objects-and/) [John N. Bahcall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-bahcall/) > [Since we have been out of balance so heavily towards the male, it is going to be the feminine energy which will now move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/since-we-have-been-out-of-balance-so-heavily-towards-the-male-it-is/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Death is the inseparable antecedent of life; the seed dies in order to produce the plant, and earth itself is rent asunder and dies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/death-is-the-inseparable-antecedent-of-life-the-seed-dies-in-order-to/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [Hubbard set up the Church of Scientology in Hollywood in 1954 for a reason. He understood that celebrity was increasingly a feature of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/hubbard-set-up-the-church-of-scientology-in-hollywood-in-1954-for-a/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [My days were not days of the week, bearing the stamp of any heathen deity, nor were they minced into hours and fretted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-days-were-not-days-of-the-week-bearing-the-stamp-of-any-heathen/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 455 Deities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How happy he whose toil Has o'er his languid pow'rless limbs diffus'd A pleasing lassitude; he not in vain Invokes the gentle Deity of dreams. 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