--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Languor is underrated. It is not possible…" description: "\"“Languor is underrated. It is not possible to be immobile in modern society except by dint of constant effort. Holding on tightly to the riverbank and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/kevin-patterson-40275_modern-society_languor-is-underrated-it-is-not-possible_1081564.jpg" --- # Languor is underrated. It is not possible to be immobile… ![“Languor is underrated. It is not possible to be immobile in modern society except by dint of constant effort. Holding on tightly to the riverbank and fighting the current is not languor. Nobody likes that. But bone-lazy idleness hours and hours spent staring at the sky and remembering books and…” quote by Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/kevin-patterson-40275_modern-society_languor-is-underrated-it-is-not-possible_1081564.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/kevin-patterson-40275_modern-society_languor-is-underrated-it-is-not-possible_1081564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/kevin-patterson-40275_modern-society_languor-is-underrated-it-is-not-possible_1081564.jpg) > ““Languor is underrated. It is not possible to be immobile in modern society except by dint of constant effort. Holding on tightly to the riverbank and fighting the current is not languor. Nobody likes that. But bone-lazy idleness hours and hours spent staring at the sky and remembering books and birthdays and great kisses: this is a pure pleasure that eludes the productive in all their confident superiority. Languor s sunny and hot. It is at home near the sea and is best appreciated in environments of beauty and limited promise. It contains within it the idea of boredom but is also colored by idle fancy and the understanding that some things proceed best with limited attention.”” [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The piece argues that deliberate idleness—quiet, unproductive moments of contemplation—offers a rare, restorative pleasure in a culture obsessed with constant activity. **In simple terms:** Quiet, idle moments are valuable and soothing. Key Takeaway Make time for intentional stillness. Themes leisure idleness contemplation modernity beauty Mood calm reflective Type essay inspirational When to use this quote - vacation relaxation - creative brainstorming - nature walks - reading sessions Key Concepts slow living mindfulness counter‑culture Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance productivity with restorative idleness? - What environments foster your best quiet moments? A Different Perspective People may misuse “languor” as an excuse for chronic procrastination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) [Modern society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-society/) ## Related quotes > [The langour of Youth - how unique and quintessential it is! How quickly, how irrecoverably, lost! The zest, the generous affections, the illusions, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-langour-of-youth-how-unique-and-quintessential-it-is-how-quickly/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [The languor of Youth - how unique and quintessential it is! How quickly, how irrecoverably, lost!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-languor-of-youth-how-unique-and-quintessential-it-is-how-quickly/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Languor is a more efficient method of control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/languor-is-a-more-efficient-method-of-control/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Some don’t want to be happy, inasmuch as they undergo happiness merely as languor and yawning. They are dissatisfied with a bland and vacuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/some-don-t-want-to-be-happy-inasmuch-as-they-undergo-happiness-merely/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“I don't think you have enough "new" words - and speaking of languor I would speak of it as 'a touch of languor' which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/i-don-t-think-you-have-enough-new-words-and-speaking-of-languor-i/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [“It was exactly the sort of person, like Joan of Arc, who did know why women wore skirts, who was most justified in not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-was-exactly-the-sort-of-person-like-joan-of-arc-who-did-know-why/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“The word “yoga” has become synonymous with physical postures in modern society, which is a narrow view, of course. Nevertheless, the popularity of yoga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogani/the-word-yoga-has-become-synonymous-with-physical-postures-in-modern/) Yogani > [I believe that the entire effort of modern society should be concentrated on the endeavor to outlaw war as a method of the solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-believe-that-the-entire-effort-of-modern-society-should-be/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [“Modern society, the political body, the legal and judiciary system, the state of governance, capitalism and the very fabric of the society itself, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/modern-society-the-political-body-the-legal-and-judiciary-system-the/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Modern societies accepted the treasures and the power offered them by science. But they have not accepted - they have scarcely even heard -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-monod/modern-societies-accepted-the-treasures-and-the-power-offered-them-by/) [Jacques Monod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-monod/) > [Modern society includes three types of men who can never think very highly of the world--the priest, the physician, and the attorney-at-law. They all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/modern-society-includes-three-types-of-men-who-can-never-think-very/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Despite what our modern society would have you believe, the Witch within you is not dangerous, but protective. She is not frivolous, but exceedingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-cabot/despite-what-our-modern-society-would-have-you-believe-the-witch/) [Laurie Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-cabot/) > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [The Second Amendment has no place in modern society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/the-second-amendment-has-no-place-in-modern-society/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [We segregate men from women, and no matter how many times we insist that men and women are equal, men and women should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-t-mitchell/we-segregate-men-from-women-and-no-matter-how-many-times-we-insist/) [W. J. T. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-t-mitchell/) ## More by Kevin Patterson > [I work on quiet call nights in the hospital, on airplanes and on my sailboat when I have a bit of time - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/i-work-on-quiet-call-nights-in-the-hospital-on-airplanes-and-on-my/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [The whole world loves a maverick and the whole world wants the maverick to achieve something nobler than simple rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/the-whole-world-loves-a-maverick-and-the-whole-world-wants-the/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [Solitude sharpens awareness of small pleasures otherwise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/solitude-sharpens-awareness-of-small-pleasures-otherwise-lost/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [I like a certain grandeur to a landscape, which both the Arctic and coastal BC have. I like it to be at all times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/i-like-a-certain-grandeur-to-a-landscape-which-both-the-arctic-and/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [“The idea of latency is worth thinking about. Biology rewards patience. Mycobacterium tuberculosis understands this. It estabishes its toeholds and then it becomes dormant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/the-idea-of-latency-is-worth-thinking-about-biology-rewards-patience/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [Because at bottom, I'm interested in fear, and in courage and cowardice and these are easier to get at through fiction, where you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/because-at-bottom-i-m-interested-in-fear-and-in-courage-and-cowardice/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [Medicine and writing are natural companions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/medicine-and-writing-are-natural-companions/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [Storms are sex. They exist alongside and are indifferent to words and description and dissection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/storms-are-sex-they-exist-alongside-and-are-indifferent-to-words-and/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat and florid novels that appall me now but opened my eyes to the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-of-whom-write-fat-and-florid/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [I've worked in the Inuit hamlets of the west coast of Hudson Bay since 1994. Over that time I've been very moved by both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/i-ve-worked-in-the-inuit-hamlets-of-the-west-coast-of-hudson-bay/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) [Explore all 11 Kevin Patterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) ## More Idleness quotes > [“Idleness is seductive. Just relax and do nothing, it says.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/idleness-is-seductive-just-relax-and-do-nothing-it-says/) [Innocent Mwatsikesimbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/) > [“Virtue? A fig! 'Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/virtue-a-fig-tis-in-ourselves-that-we-are-thus-or-thus-our-bodies-are/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The frivolous work of polished idleness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mackintosh/the-frivolous-work-of-polished-idleness/) [James Mackintosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mackintosh/) > [We are more heavily taxed by our idleness, pride and folly than we are taxed by government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/we-are-more-heavily-taxed-by-our-idleness-pride-and-folly-than-we-are/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Doing nothing is the hardest torture that a person can put himself through. For he is always brought face to face with his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iwan-goll/doing-nothing-is-the-hardest-torture-that-a-person-can-put-himself/) [Iwan Goll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iwan-goll/) > [Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/inactivity-and-deprivation-of-all-accustomed-stimulus-is-not-rest-it/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [“Liza had a finely developed sense of sin Idleness was a sin, and card playing, which was a kind of idleness to her. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/liza-had-a-finely-developed-sense-of-sin-idleness-was-a-sin-and-card/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Idleness is paralysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roswell-dwight-hitchcock/idleness-is-paralysis/) [Roswell Dwight Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roswell-dwight-hitchcock/) > [The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth The freckled cowslip, burnet, and green clover, Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank, Conceives by idleness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-even-mead-that-erst-brought-sweetly-forth-the-freckled-cowslip/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in work. Were he never so benighted, forgetful of his high calling, there is always hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/there-is-a-perennial-nobleness-and-even-sacredness-in-work-were-he/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Great talents, by the rust of long disuse, Grow lethargic and shrink from what they were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/great-talents-by-the-rust-of-long-disuse-grow-lethargic-and-shrink/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/far-from-idleness-being-the-root-of-all-evil-it-is-rather-the-only/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“Reality has a tendency to reveal itself when man is idle, and so it is because of this that idleness is often regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/reality-has-a-tendency-to-reveal-itself-when-man-is-idle-and-so-it-is/) VD > [Let us be grateful to Adam: he cut us out of the blessing of idleness and won for us the curse of labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/let-us-be-grateful-to-adam-he-cut-us-out-of-the-blessing-of-idleness/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If I gave my mother a knitted scarf she'd be worried I was wasting my time doing stupid stuff like knitting instead of school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/if-i-gave-my-mother-a-knitted-scarf-she-d-be-worried-i-was-wasting-my/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) [Browse all 564 Idleness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Languor is underrated. 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