If you are idle, be not solitary; if you are solitary, be not idle.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Johnson advises that idleness should be filled with company to avoid lethargy, and solitude should be filled with purposeful activity to avoid wasted time.
- In plain terms
- Do not be alone when you have nothing to do, and do not do nothing when you are alone.
- What can you take from it?
- Balance solitude with work and idleness with companionship.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you fill your alone time?
- Do you prefer working alone or with others?
Another view
Sometimes solitude and idleness are both necessary for rest.
More from Samuel Johnson
Worth seeing? yes; but not worth going to see.
Permalink to quote #175 A Frenchman must be always talking, whether he knows anything of the matter or not; an Englishman is content to say nothing, when he has nothing to say.
Permalink to quote #177 A man who exposes himself when he is intoxicated, has not the art of getting drunk.
Permalink to quote #174
Related quotes
I am come to a tavern alone to eat a steak, after which I shall return to the office.
Richard SteeleRichard Steele quote #3 The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and h…
James MichenerJames Michener quote #51 Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live.
Margaret FullerMargaret Fuller quote #96