--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . . work even when I'm satisfied with…" description: "\". . . work even when I'm satisfied with it is never my child I love nor my servant I've brought to heel. It's always busy work I do with my left hand, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg" --- # . . . work even when I'm satisfied with it is never my… ![“. . . work even when I'm satisfied with it is never my child I love nor my servant I've brought to heel. It's always busy work I do with my left hand, and part of me watches grudging the wastes of a lifetime.” quote by Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg) > “. . . work even when I'm satisfied with it is never my child I love nor my servant I've brought to heel. It's always busy work I do with my left hand, and part of me watches grudging the wastes of a lifetime.” [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Busy, unfulfilling tasks become a burdensome habit that distracts from meaningful work. **In simple terms:** Avoid meaningless busywork. Key Takeaway Prioritize purposeful tasks over busywork. Themes work meaning habit Mood frustrated motivated Type reflective practical When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - daily routines Key Concepts psychology of labor time management Questions to Reflect On - What tasks feel like busywork? - How can you replace them with meaningful work? A Different Perspective Busywork can feel productive but wastes time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy/) [Busy work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-work/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Grudging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grudging-1227494/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Heels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heels/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-hand/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [My children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-children/) [Satisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfied/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-left-655401/) ## Related quotes > [When I first met my husband, he had a very good job - company car, pension plan, grudging respect from his staff - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/when-i-first-met-my-husband-he-had-a-very-good-job-company-car/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [Some people are very good at being 'stars' and it suits them. I'm grudging about it and I find it annoying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/some-people-are-very-good-at-being-stars-and-it-suits-them-i-m/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I am the fonder of my garden for all the trouble it gives me, and the grudging reward that my unending labours exact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-farrer/i-am-the-fonder-of-my-garden-for-all-the-trouble-it-gives-me-and-the/) [Reginald Farrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-farrer/) > [How grudging memory is, and how bitterly she clutches the raw material of her daily work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/how-grudging-memory-is-and-how-bitterly-she-clutches-the-raw-material/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“A grudging willingness to admit error does not suffice; you have to cultivate a taste for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-haspel/a-grudging-willingness-to-admit-error-does-not-suffice-you-have-to/) [Aaron Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-haspel/) > [“Soft living imposes on us the penalty of debility; we cease to be able to do the things we've long been grudging about doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/soft-living-imposes-on-us-the-penalty-of-debility-we-cease-to-be-able/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [Having a 9-to-5 workday in which work is left behind when one leaves the office is no longer the norm as employers expect employees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-d-friedman/having-a-9-to-5-workday-in-which-work-is-left-behind-when-one-leaves/) [Stewart D. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-d-friedman/) > [“There's always a piece of unfinished work left, but I suppose there is always someone to finish it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/there-s-always-a-piece-of-unfinished-work-left-but-i-suppose-there-is/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“Work left undone for years affects people's moods, their feelings about themselves, their ability to work creatively, and their hopes for the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danelle-morton/work-left-undone-for-years-affects-people-s-moods-their-feelings/) [Danelle Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danelle-morton/) > [Temptation is God's magnifying glass; it shows us how much work he has left to do in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/temptation-is-god-s-magnifying-glass-it-shows-us-how-much-work-he-has/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [Painters work from the ground up. The latest version of a painting overlays earlier versions, and obliterates them. Writers, on the other hand, work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/painters-work-from-the-ground-up-the-latest-version-of-a-painting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/can-anything-be-sadder-than-work-left-unfinished-yes-work-never-begun/) [Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/) > [There is so much work left to be done in the world and for me, I am hoping to make the change I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/there-is-so-much-work-left-to-be-done-in-the-world-and-for-me-i-am/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [My work is done; I have nothing left to do but to go to my Father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selina-hastings-countess-of-huntingdon/my-work-is-done-i-have-nothing-left-to-do-but-to-go-to-my-father/) [Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selina-hastings-countess-of-huntingdon/) > [The chips are in production, the machines aren't. So we've got a little bit of work left to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-allard/the-chips-are-in-production-the-machines-aren-t-so-we-ve-got-a-little/) [J Allard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-allard/) ## More by Ruth Benedict > [We grow in time to trust the future for our answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/we-grow-in-time-to-trust-the-future-for-our-answers/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [An observer will see the bizarre developments of behavior only in alien cultures, not his own. Nevertheless this is obviously a local and temporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/an-observer-will-see-the-bizarre-developments-of-behavior-only-in/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [In world history, those who have helped to build the same culture are not necessarily of one race, and those of the same race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/in-world-history-those-who-have-helped-to-build-the-same-culture-are/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [It is strange how long we rebel against a platitude until suddenly in a different lingo it looms up again as the only verity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-strange-how-long-we-rebel-against-a-platitude-until-suddenly-in/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [“Experience, contrary to common belief, is mostly imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/experience-contrary-to-common-belief-is-mostly-imagination/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [I gambled on having the strength to live two lives, one for myself and one for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/i-gambled-on-having-the-strength-to-live-two-lives-one-for-myself-and/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Western civilization, because of fortuitous historical circumstances, has spread itself more widely than any other local group that has so far been known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/western-civilization-because-of-fortuitous-historical-circumstances/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [The trouble is not that we are never happy - it is that happiness is so episodical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/the-trouble-is-not-that-we-are-never-happy-it-is-that-happiness-is-so/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [It is my necessary breath of life to understand and expression is the only justification of life that I can feel without prodding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-my-necessary-breath-of-life-to-understand-and-expression-is-the/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/the-purpose-of-anthropology-is-to-make-the-world-safe-for-human/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Success and failure in our own national economy will hang upon the degree to which we are able to work with races and nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/success-and-failure-in-our-own-national-economy-will-hang-upon-the/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [I haven't strength of mind not to need a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/i-haven-t-strength-of-mind-not-to-need-a-career/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [As a matter of history great developments in art have often been remarkably separate from religious motivation and use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/as-a-matter-of-history-great-developments-in-art-have-often-been/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [The Japanese are, to the highest degree, both aggressive and unaggressive, both militaristic and aesthetic, both insolent and polite, rigid and adaptable, submissive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/the-japanese-are-to-the-highest-degree-both-aggressive-and/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Society in its full sense ... is never an entity separable from the individuals who compose it. No individual can arrive even at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/society-in-its-full-sense-is-never-an-entity-separable-from-the/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) [Explore all 62 Ruth Benedict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) ## More Busy quotes > [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/) [Victoria Derbyshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-derbyshire/) > [I remember till 997th film, but after that I got so busy with multiple projects; I'm not sure which one released as my 1,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmanandam/i-remember-till-997th-film-but-after-that-i-got-so-busy-with-multiple/) [Brahmanandam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmanandam/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [I am on sabbatical as of right now, been too busy to think of about my OWN needs as of late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-diamond/i-am-on-sabbatical-as-of-right-now-been-too-busy-to-think-of-about-my/) [Jim Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-diamond/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [I have no social life. There is no time for one. Once in a while I may go to dinner with a friend but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/i-have-no-social-life-there-is-no-time-for-one-once-in-a-while-i-may/) [Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/) [Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/) > [“Get busy live'n, or get busy die'n”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-shawshank-redemption/get-busy-live-n-or-get-busy-die-n/) [The Shawshank Redemption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-shawshank-redemption/) [Browse all 3,372 Busy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": ". . . work even when I'm satisfied with it is never my child I love nor my servant I've brought to heel. It's always busy work I do with my left hand, and part of me watches grudging the wastes of a lifetime.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ruth Benedict" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is-never-my-child-i-love-nor-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Busy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is-never-my-child-i-love-nor-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/ruth-benedict-10946_busy_work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is_1708955.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“. . . work even when I'm satisfied with it is never my child I love nor my servant I've brought to heel…” — Ruth Benedict", "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": "Ruth Benedict", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": ". . . work even when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is-never-my-child-i-love-nor-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/work-even-when-i-m-satisfied-with-it-is-never-my-child-i-love-nor-my/#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 } } ] } ```