--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most bewildering thing about man is…" description: "\"The most bewildering thing about man is his idea of work and the amount of work he imposes upon himself, or civilization has imposed upon him. All natu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40f/lin-yutang-2491_amount_the-most-bewildering-thing-about-man-is_1584598.png" --- # The most bewildering thing about man is his idea of work… ![“The most bewildering thing about man is his idea of work and the amount of work he imposes upon himself, or civilization has imposed upon him. All nature loafs, while man alone works for a living.” quote by Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40f/lin-yutang-2491_amount_the-most-bewildering-thing-about-man-is_1584598.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40f/lin-yutang-2491_amount_the-most-bewildering-thing-about-man-is_1584598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40f/lin-yutang-2491_amount_the-most-bewildering-thing-about-man-is_1584598.png) > “The most bewildering thing about man is his idea of work and the amount of work he imposes upon himself, or civilization has imposed upon him. All nature loafs, while man alone works for a living.” [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans impose excessive work on themselves unlike nature, which rests; this creates a paradox of labor versus leisure. **In simple terms:** People work too hard compared to nature. Key Takeaway Balance work with natural rest. Themes work ethic nature balance Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - career planning - well‑being practices - urban design - cultural attitudes Key Concepts philosophical social critique Questions to Reflect On - How much work is truly necessary? - What can we learn from nature’s rest? A Different Perspective Modern economies may require work; rest can be undervalued. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/) Joseph French Johnson > [When a man works by faith, he works by mental exertion instead of by physical force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/when-a-man-works-by-faith-he-works-by-mental-exertion-instead-of-by/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [Man works when he is partially involved. When he is totally involved he is at play or leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/man-works-when-he-is-partially-involved-when-he-is-totally-involved/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Man works for an object. Remove that object and you reduce him into inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/man-works-for-an-object-remove-that-object-and-you-reduce-him-into/) [Jose Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/) > [Many a man works himself to death by burying himself in his work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/many-a-man-works-himself-to-death-by-burying-himself-in-his-work/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The forgotten man... He works, he votes, generally he prays, but his chief business in life is to pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-forgotten-man-he-works-he-votes-generally-he-prays-but-his-chief/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [Technology is not about tools, it deals with how Man works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/technology-is-not-about-tools-it-deals-with-how-man-works/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“A good man is called a man by his works”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tshikororo-raymond/a-good-man-is-called-a-man-by-his-works/) Tshikororo Raymond > [For all things difficult to acquire, the intelligent man works with perseverance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-all-things-difficult-to-acquire-the-intelligent-man-works-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-man-who-works-for-others-without-any-selfish-motive-really-does/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/beware-of-the-man-who-works-hard-to-learn-something-learns-it-and-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The man who works recognizes his own product in the world that has actually been transformed by his work. 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I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/get-a-man-who-works-for-nothing-and-you-get-a-man-who-just-likes-to/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Vaster is Man than his works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rockwell-kent/vaster-is-man-than-his-works/) [Rockwell Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rockwell-kent/) > [Unless a man works he cannot find out what he is able to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gilbert-hamerton/unless-a-man-works-he-cannot-find-out-what-he-is-able-to-do/) [Philip Gilbert Hamerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gilbert-hamerton/) ## More by Lin Yutang > [There are no books in this world that everybody must read, but only books that a person must read at a certain time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/there-are-no-books-in-this-world-that-everybody-must-read-but-only/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [And if the reader has no taste for what he reads, all the time is wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/and-if-the-reader-has-no-taste-for-what-he-reads-all-the-time-is/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [“Much as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational beings. 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