--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Working is bad enough in the winter, but…" description: "\"Working is bad enough in the winter, but in the summer it can become completely intolerable. Stuck in airless offices, every fibre of our being seems t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/tom-hodgkinson-2852_bird_working-is-bad-enough-in-the-winter-but_422604.jpg" --- # Working is bad enough in the winter, but in the summer it… ![“Working is bad enough in the winter, but in the summer it can become completely intolerable. Stuck in airless offices, every fibre of our being seems to cry out for freedom. We're reminded of being stuck in double maths while the birds sing outside.” quote by Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/tom-hodgkinson-2852_bird_working-is-bad-enough-in-the-winter-but_422604.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/tom-hodgkinson-2852_bird_working-is-bad-enough-in-the-winter-but_422604.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2b/tom-hodgkinson-2852_bird_working-is-bad-enough-in-the-winter-but_422604.jpg) > “Working is bad enough in the winter, but in the summer it can become completely intolerable. Stuck in airless offices, every fibre of our being seems to cry out for freedom. We're reminded of being stuck in double maths while the birds sing outside.” [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Winter work feels oppressive; summer amplifies the yearning for freedom and fresh air, making confinement unbearable. **In simple terms:** Work feels worse in summer because we crave outdoors. Key Takeaway Seek balance, create breathing space. Themes work seasonality freedom environment Mood frustrated yearning Type observational reflective When to use this quote - office design - remote work - breaks - seasonal scheduling Key Concepts psychology well‑being burnout Questions to Reflect On - How can you redesign your workspace for seasonal comfort? - What small outdoor breaks can you take? A Different Perspective May overlook personal responsibility for job choice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [It was a bad one, the Winter of 1933. Wading home that night through flames of snow, my toes burning, my ears on fire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/it-was-a-bad-one-the-winter-of-1933-wading-home-that-night-through/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [I'm not going to get better as an actor working on bad stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-m-not-going-to-get-better-as-an-actor-working-on-bad-stuff/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [Don't be afraid to let someone go if it's not working. You're not a bad boss. You're not a bad CEO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/don-t-be-afraid-to-let-someone-go-if-it-s-not-working-you-re-not-a/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) > [Not working is bad for you. It is my drug, it gives me a high; most performers will tell you that. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-forsyth/not-working-is-bad-for-you-it-is-my-drug-it-gives-me-a-high-most/) [Bruce Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-forsyth/) > [If there were no tribulation, there would be no rest; if there were no winter, there would be no summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-there-were-no-tribulation-there-would-be-no-rest-if-there-were-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Winter, summer, happiness, and pain; Giving, appearing, disappearing; Non-permanent, all of them; Just try to tolerate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagavad-gita/winter-summer-happiness-and-pain-giving-appearing-disappearing-non/) [Bhagavad Gita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagavad-gita/) > [Another year.. Another smile.. Another tear.. Another winter n' Summer too.. But there can never be another you..Â¥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustin-jose/another-year-another-smile-another-tear-another-winter-n-summer-too/) Augustin Jose > [“Winter and Summer While it's summer people say Winter is the better season. Such is human reason. Kamijima Onitsura”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reiko-chiba/winter-and-summer-while-it-s-summer-people-say-winter-is-the-better/) [Reiko Chiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reiko-chiba/) > [We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/we-cannot-stop-the-winter-or-the-summer-from-coming-we-cannot-stop/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [It would be nice to do a winter and a summer Olympics in the same cycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/it-would-be-nice-to-do-a-winter-and-a-summer-olympics-in-the-same/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [People dont notice whether its winter or summer when theyre happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-dont-notice-whether-its-winter-or-summer-when-theyre-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/people-don-t-notice-whether-it-s-winter-or-summer-when-they-re-happy/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [A healthy man, indeed, is the complement of the seasons, and in winter, summer is in his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-healthy-man-indeed-is-the-complement-of-the-seasons-and-in-winter/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“After another wretched winter the summer hits and everyone’s complaining about how hot it is. Fucking typical, she thinks. Always complaining.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaymie-depew/after-another-wretched-winter-the-summer-hits-and-everyone-s/) Jaymie Depew > [Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/write-about-winter-in-the-summer-describe-norway-as-ibsen-did-from-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More by Tom Hodgkinson > [By taking out a loan, I am committing myself to years of interest repayments, and therefore to years of wage slavery. And the UK…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/by-taking-out-a-loan-i-am-committing-myself-to-years-of-interest/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Writing a book is a brilliant thing because once you've finished it, you've done it, and there's the potential for it to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/writing-a-book-is-a-brilliant-thing-because-once-you-ve-finished-it/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Truly, the bench is a boon to idlers. Whoever first came up with the idea is a genius: free public resting places where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/truly-the-bench-is-a-boon-to-idlers-whoever-first-came-up-with-the/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Beauty, pleasure, freedom and plenty of sleep: these are the hallmarks of a successful idler's break. Travel should not be hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/beauty-pleasure-freedom-and-plenty-of-sleep-these-are-the-hallmarks/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [These days we seem more bound to our bosses than ever before. We even identify our own selves with the jobs we do: 'What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/these-days-we-seem-more-bound-to-our-bosses-than-ever-before-we-even/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The way to stop feeling guilty is to read stuff - I'm not saying my book, but works by Bertrand Russell or Oscar Wilde,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-way-to-stop-feeling-guilty-is-to-read-stuff-i-m-not-saying-my/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The phrase 'work/life balance' encapsulates a depressing outlook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-phrase-work-life-balance-encapsulates-a-depressing-outlook/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The idea of a government is to create an ordered, willing work force where there's no trouble. I think idlers are generally seen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-idea-of-a-government-is-to-create-an-ordered-willing-work-force/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [When stuck years ago in a job I hated, my only friend was the public bench. As the tedious mornings dragged on, how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/when-stuck-years-ago-in-a-job-i-hated-my-only-friend-was-the-public/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [All poets are idlers, even if all idlers are not poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/all-poets-are-idlers-even-if-all-idlers-are-not-poets/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Pain will never leave us. Instead of putting energy into destroying pain, we need to put energy into creating pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/pain-will-never-leave-us-instead-of-putting-energy-into-destroying/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Sensible people advise against drinking on an empty stomach, but to my mind it is the best sort of drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/sensible-people-advise-against-drinking-on-an-empty-stomach-but-to-my/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Paradoxically, to be truly idle, you also have to be efficient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/paradoxically-to-be-truly-idle-you-also-have-to-be-efficient/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Am I the only person in the world who is shocked and amazed at the ongoing flattery of uebergeek Mark Zuckerberg?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/am-i-the-only-person-in-the-world-who-is-shocked-and-amazed-at-the/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [I would like to propose slow cycling. Commute by bike. At a stroke, you remove the need for and absurd cost of public transport.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/i-would-like-to-propose-slow-cycling-commute-by-bike-at-a-stroke-you/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) [Explore all 144 Tom Hodgkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) ## More Bird quotes > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) Nina Schuyler > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Real like sucks the life out of losers. if you want to fuck with the eagles, you must learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-like-sucks-the-life-out-of-losers-if-you-want-to-fuck-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Browse all 4,802 Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Working is bad enough in the winter, but in the summer it can become completely intolerable. 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