--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surely man was not created to be an idle…" description: "\"Surely man was not created to be an idle fellow; he was not set in this universal orchard to stand still as a tree.\" — Thomas Dekker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg" --- # Surely man was not created to be an idle fellow; he was… ![“Surely man was not created to be an idle fellow; he was not set in this universal orchard to stand still as a tree.” quote by Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg) > “Surely man was not created to be an idle fellow; he was not set in this universal orchard to stand still as a tree.” [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans are meant to act, not remain passive in life's vast arena. **In simple terms:** People should be active, not idle. Key Takeaway Engage purposefully in life. Themes activity purpose human nature Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career - community service - creative projects - social activism Key Concepts Existentialism agency Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take today? - How does idleness affect your sense of purpose? A Different Perspective Idle behavior can lead to missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [For a few brief days the orchards are white with blossoms. They soon turn to fruit, or else float away, useless and wasted, upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-l-cuyler/for-a-few-brief-days-the-orchards-are-white-with-blossoms-they-soon/) [Theodore L. Cuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-l-cuyler/) > [Such widely different things as war and picnics will surely show a man up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-truman/such-widely-different-things-as-war-and-picnics-will-surely-show-a/) [Bess Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-truman/) > [Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/surely-what-a-man-does-when-he-is-taken-off-his-guard-is-the-best/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Oh, I wish so much to live again! Each minute, each instant of life should be blessedness for man... they should, surely they should!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/oh-i-wish-so-much-to-live-again-each-minute-each-instant-of-life/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Among the works of man, which human life is rightly employed in perfecting, the first in importance surely is man himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/among-the-works-of-man-which-human-life-is-rightly-employed-in/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“Surely a Man may speak Truth with a smiling countenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/surely-a-man-may-speak-truth-with-a-smiling-countenance/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“It was surely well for man that he came late in the order of creation. There”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-surely-well-for-man-that-he-came-late-in-the-order-of-creation/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/if-ever-two-were-one-then-surely-we-if-ever-man-were-loved-by-wife/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [ \[If\] man creates the problem, surely man can solve it. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/if-man-creates-the-problem-surely-man-can-solve-it/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [If the criminal will not keep his gains for ever and his victim will not always suffer want, surely man passes like a shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/if-the-criminal-will-not-keep-his-gains-for-ever-and-his-victim-will/) [Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/) > [Man has created death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/man-has-created-death/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The human race is the basis on which heaven is founded, is because man was last created, and that which is last created is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/the-human-race-is-the-basis-on-which-heaven-is-founded-is-because-man/) [Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/) > [“I have the strange feeling that man created language but now it creates us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-nagarkar/i-have-the-strange-feeling-that-man-created-language-but-now-it/) [Kiran Nagarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-nagarkar/) > [Two ideas are psychologically deep-rooted in man: self-protection and self-preservation. For self-protection man has created God, on whom he depends for his own protection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/two-ideas-are-psychologically-deep-rooted-in-man-self-protection-and/) [Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## More by Thomas Dekker > [This principle is old, but true as fate, Kings may love treason, but the traitor hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/this-principle-is-old-but-true-as-fate-kings-may-love-treason-but-the/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [To awaken each morning with a smile brightening my face; to greet the day with reverence for the opportunities it contains; to approach my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/to-awaken-each-morning-with-a-smile-brightening-my-face-to-greet-the/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [We are ne'er like angels till our passion dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/we-are-ne-er-like-angels-till-our-passion-dies/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, Smiles awake you when you rise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/golden-slumbers-kiss-your-eyes-smiles-awake-you-when-you-rise/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [“Long hair will make thee look dreafully to thine enemies, and manly to thy friends: it is, in peace, an ornament; in war, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/long-hair-will-make-thee-look-dreafully-to-thine-enemies-and-manly-to/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Arguments, like children, should be like the subject that begets them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/arguments-like-children-should-be-like-the-subject-that-begets-them/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Age is like love, it cannot be hid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/age-is-like-love-it-cannot-be-hid/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/sleep-is-that-golden-chain-that-ties-health-and-our-bodies-together/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [This age thinks better of a gilded fool Than of a threadbare saint in wisdom's school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/this-age-thinks-better-of-a-gilded-fool-than-of-a-threadbare-saint-in/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [A mask of gold hides all deformities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/a-mask-of-gold-hides-all-deformities/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Cast away care, he that loves sorrow Lengthens not a day, nor can buy tomorrow; Money is trash, and he that will spend it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/cast-away-care-he-that-loves-sorrow-lengthens-not-a-day-nor-can-buy/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Honest labor bears a lovely face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/honest-labor-bears-a-lovely-face/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [What a heaven is love! O what a hell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/what-a-heaven-is-love-o-what-a-hell/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [“Do but consider what an excellent thing sleep is...that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. Who complains of want? of wounds?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/do-but-consider-what-an-excellent-thing-sleep-is-that-golden-chain/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [Were there no women, men might live like gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/were-there-no-women-men-might-live-like-gods/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) [Explore all 19 Thomas Dekker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) ## More Idle quotes > [Nature, being a wise and provident lady, governs her parts very wisely, methodically, and orderly: Also, she is very industrious and hates to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cavendish/nature-being-a-wise-and-provident-lady-governs-her-parts-very-wisely/) [Margaret Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cavendish/) > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/i-m-homosexual-how-and-why-are-idle-questions-it-s-a-little-like/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [These eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/these-eyes-tho-clear-to-outward-view-of-blemish-or-of-spot-bereft-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/life-is-not-long-and-too-much-of-it-must-not-pass-in-idle/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This nation is freedom's home, and freedom's defender.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-is-clear-that-the-future-of-freedom-and-peace-depend-on-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Spring comes with flowers, autumn with the moon, summer with the breeze, winter with snow. When idle concerns don't fill your thoughts, that's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wumen-huikai/spring-comes-with-flowers-autumn-with-the-moon-summer-with-the-breeze/) [Wumen Huikai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wumen-huikai/) > [Old Flossie settle down on the other side of What-the-Dickens and dragged some handiwork out of a sack. She armed herself with two thorns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/old-flossie-settle-down-on-the-other-side-of-what-the-dickens-and/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-be-idle-requires-a-strong-sense-of-personal-identity/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [An idle life and a holy heart is a contradiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/an-idle-life-and-a-holy-heart-is-a-contradiction/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) Browse all 727 Idle quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Surely man was not created to be an idle fellow; he was not set in this universal orchard to stand still as a tree.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Dekker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle-fellow-he-was-not-set-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle-fellow-he-was-not-set-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41c/thomas-dekker-28647_idle_surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle_2155673.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Surely man was not created to be an idle fellow; he was not set in this universal orchard to stand still as…” — Thomas Dekker", "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": "Thomas Dekker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Surely man was not created to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle-fellow-he-was-not-set-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/surely-man-was-not-created-to-be-an-idle-fellow-he-was-not-set-in/#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 } } ] } ```