Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.

—Soren Kierkegaard

time evil good idleness

More quotations from Soren Kierkegaard

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.

—Soren Kierkegaard

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.

—Soren Kierkegaard

attention pleasure speed haste

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.

—Soren Kierkegaard

Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward.

—Soren Kierkegaard

As my prayer became more attentive and inward, I had less and less to say. I finally became completely silent. . . . This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard.

—Soren Kierkegaard

More quotations tagged with “idleness”

I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room.

—Blaise Pascal

evil stillness idleness

Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything.

doing being nothing idleness

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.

—Jerome K. Jerome

work laziness idleness

Men are generally idle, and ready to satisfy themselves, and intimidate the industry of others, by calling that impossible which is only difficult.

—Samual Johnson

satisfaction impossible idleness difficult

I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.

—Jerome K. Jerome

humor work idleness