Unless man has the wit and the grit to build his civilization on something better than material power, it is surely idle to talk of plans for a stable peace.
Perhaps our originality manifests itself most strikingly in what we do with that which we did not originate. To discover something wholly new can be a matter of chance, of idle tinkering, or even of the chronic dissatisfaction of the untalented.
Yes, take a little time to play And look at life the other way. God rested when the world was made: Rest now, old friend; be not afraid. But think not that your work is over, That you are now a foot-free rover, A rambler upon idle ways, Whittling away the golden days. For in the road climb to the goal There's no long furlough for a soul. There's no long pause: on every height Another summit swims in sight. The long road rises, scene by scene, With little restings in between. And so I say that every end Is only an unexpected bend In eternal road we go To peaks above from peaks below. The yesterdays are shells we shed: The best is always on ahead. There's always some new world for winning; And every end is a new beginning!
Big business can't prosper without small business to supply its needs and buy its products. Labor can't prosper so long as capital lies idle. Capital can't prosper while labor is unemployed.
The thought in your mind at this moment is contributing, however, infinitesimally, almost imperceptibly to the shaping of your soul, . . . even passing and idle thoughts leave their impression.
David McKay (1873 - 1970)
Source: quoted in The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 105.
"The first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile." [Plato] One secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice of inclination to do is worth all of the good thoughts, warm feelings, and passionate prayers in which idle men indulge themselves.
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