--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide." description: "\"I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide.\" — Lord Chesterfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg" --- # I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide. ![“I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide.” quote by Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg) > “I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide.” [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Indolence is self‑destructive, likened to suicide, because it wastes potential and erodes purpose. **In simple terms:** Laziness harms you like suicide. Key Takeaway Avoid idleness to preserve purpose. Themes productivity self‑discipline purpose Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career development - personal health - academic study Key Concepts existentialism psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - How does idleness affect your goals? - What healthy habits replace it? A Different Perspective Self‑discipline can be stressful and unsustainable without balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) ## Related quotes > [I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide; for the man is effectually destroyed, though the appetites of the brute may survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suicide-for-the-man-is-effectually/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Should l go on playing bridge and dining, going in the same old monotonous circle? It's easy that way, but it's a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette-perry/should-l-go-on-playing-bridge-and-dining-going-in-the-same-old/) Antoinette Perry > [Enjoyment stops where indolence begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pollok/enjoyment-stops-where-indolence-begins/) [Robert Pollok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pollok/) > [An idle man has a constant tendency to torpidity. He has adopted the Indian maxim that it is better to walk than to run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/an-idle-man-has-a-constant-tendency-to-torpidity-he-has-adopted-the/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [Well, I wanted to be a philosopher, which is the idlest occupation in the world. I wanted to be involved in abstract thought, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/well-i-wanted-to-be-a-philosopher-which-is-the-idlest-occupation-in/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [He who saddens at thought of idleness cannot be idle, / And he's awake who thinks himself asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/he-who-saddens-at-thought-of-idleness-cannot-be-idle-and-he-s-awake/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Wine is the source of the greatest evils among communities. It causes diseases, quarrels, seditions, idleness, aversion to labor, and family disorders. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/wine-is-the-source-of-the-greatest-evils-among-communities-it-causes/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [Idleness is the only refuge of weak minds, and the holiday of fools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/idleness-is-the-only-refuge-of-weak-minds-and-the-holiday-of-fools/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“A man must find his occasions in himself, it is true. The natural day is very calm, and will hardly reprove his indolence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-man-must-find-his-occasions-in-himself-it-is-true-the-natural-day/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“A sloppy half-Windsor is the first symptom of serial indolence' she replied in the patronizing voice that Yellows reserved for Rule-breakers, 'and ignoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/a-sloppy-half-windsor-is-the-first-symptom-of-serial-indolence-she/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [To will the impossible is usually a sin of indolence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-lewald/to-will-the-impossible-is-usually-a-sin-of-indolence/) Fanny Lewald > [The critic is a man who prefers the indolence of opinion to the trials of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/the-critic-is-a-man-who-prefers-the-indolence-of-opinion-to-the/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/there-are-two-sorts-of-content-one-is-connected-with-exertion-the/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [In our own time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/in-our-own-time-the-whole-of-greece-has-been-subject-to-a-low-birth/) [Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/) ## More by Lord Chesterfield > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [No woman ever yet either reasoned or acted long together consequentially; but some little thing, some love, some resentment, somepresent momentary interest, some supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/no-woman-ever-yet-either-reasoned-or-acted-long-together/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [I am in the pitiable situation of feeling all the force of temptation without having the strength to succumb to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-am-in-the-pitiable-situation-of-feeling-all-the-force-of-temptation/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/mankind-is-made-up-of-inconsistencies-and-no-man-acts-invariably-up/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink and paper. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-commonly-said-that-ridicule-is-the-best-test-of-truth-for-that/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [There is hardly any place or any company where you may not gain knowledge, if you please; almost everybody knows some one thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-is-hardly-any-place-or-any-company-where-you-may-not-gain/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Assurance and intrepidity, under the white banner of seeming modesty, clear the way for merit, that would otherwise be discouraged by difficulties...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/assurance-and-intrepidity-under-the-white-banner-of-seeming-modesty/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“Many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/many-a-man-would-rather-you-heard-his-story-than-grant-his-request/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) [Explore all 378 Lord Chesterfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) ## More Brutes quotes > [Et tu Brute! (You too, Brutus!)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/et-tu-brute-you-too-brutus/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Agnosticism is the natural attitude of the evolutionist. How can a brute mind comprehend spiritual things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/agnosticism-is-the-natural-attitude-of-the-evolutionist-how-can-a/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [War with all its glorification of brute force is essentially a degrading thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/war-with-all-its-glorification-of-brute-force-is-essentially-a/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The philosophic spirit of inquiry may be traced to brute curiosity, and that to the habit of examining all things in search of food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/the-philosophic-spirit-of-inquiry-may-be-traced-to-brute-curiosity/) [William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/) > [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. 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A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [What took me decades to learn, these kids can get on the Internet...What I learned by brute force, dealing out hands, they learn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doyle-brunson/what-took-me-decades-to-learn-these-kids-can-get-on-the-internet-what/) [Doyle Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doyle-brunson/) > [In the code of the satyagrahi, there is no such thing as surrender to brute force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-the-code-of-the-satyagrahi-there-is-no-such-thing-as-surrender-to/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The civil magistrate cannot function without some ethical guidance, without some standard of good and evil. If that standard is not to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-civil-magistrate-cannot-function-without-some-ethical-guidance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our reverence for the nobility of manhood will not be lessened by the knowledge that man is in substance and in structure, one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/our-reverence-for-the-nobility-of-manhood-will-not-be-lessened-by-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force--nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/they-were-conquerors-and-for-that-you-want-only-brute-force-nothing/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [When under the influence of certain (or some) reasons (or causes) (alcohol, war, etc - added Spir here) the low instincts are unbridled (or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/african-spir/when-under-the-influence-of-certain-or-some-reasons-or-causes-alcohol/) [African Spir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/african-spir/) > [I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. 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A more and more apparent cleavage occurs between the spirit and the brute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-more-a-man-cultivates-the-arts-the-less-he-fornicates-a-more-and/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) Browse all 375 Brutes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lord Chesterfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suicide/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brutes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suicide/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a5/lord-chesterfield-757_brutes_i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suici_1734807.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide.” — Lord Chesterfield", "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": "Lord Chesterfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I look upon indolence as a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suicide/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-look-upon-indolence-as-a-sort-of-suicide/#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 } } ] } ```