I found a tiny book (4 inches by 3 ½ inches) at my pharmacist’s. I love tiny books that can hide in a hand, a pocket or a purse. My library has many.
Sayings gathered by Talia Levy and Jax Berman, in Sloth Wisdom makes it one of the most enjoyable and refreshing books I’ve read in a long time. It was illustrated by Lindsay Dale; wonderful pictures of sloths.
All of the quotations below (save one) are found in that book. I thought you might enjoy them. Reading through this book and recording the quotations and their authors, I’ve learned a bit about people, famous and not so famous, who at some point in their lives (fictional and real) said these things. Note that the identification of the individuals comes from the internet.
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“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”
Bill Waterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes
“Don’t just do something, sit there.”
Sylvia Boorstein. American author, psychotherapist, and Buddhist teacher
“Of all the things a man may do, sleep probably contributes most to keeping him sane.”
Roger Zelazny, American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction
“Wisely and slowly; they stumble that run fast.”
William Shakespeare, English playwright, poet, and actor.
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
Laozi, also known as Lao Tzu; semi-legendary ancient Chinese philosopher; author the Tao-Te-Ching, the foundational text of Taoism.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Ferris Bueller, main character in the movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise as they go by.”
Douglas Adams, English author, humourist, and screenwriter, known for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
“The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything; the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.”
Bill Murray, American actor and comedian
“In a very slow way I found my path. Even now, I think. ‘If I can’t do it my way, I’d rather not do it.’ ”
Allison Goldfrapp, English musician and record producer
“The imagination needs moodling – long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.”
Brenda Ueland, American journalist, editor, writer, and teacher of writing
“Worry will never solve tomorrow’s problems. It will only take energy away from today.”
James Altucher, American hedge-fund manager, author, podcaster and entrepreneur who has founded or co-founded over 20 companies
“Slow and stead wins the race.”
Aesop, legendary Greek fabulist and storyteller; fabulist = that’s a person who composes or relates fables (for people like me who ddn’t know)
“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.”
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist
“If you are losing your leisure, look out! It may be you are losing your soul.”
Virginia Woolf, English writer
“It’s important to slow down, every now and then, for no other reason than to call someone to say hi.”
Simon Sinek, English-born American author and inspirational speaker
“If you can’t figure out what to do, it’s time for a nap.”
Mason Cooley, American aphorist and professor of French and literature (Again, so I could understand, an aphorism is a concise statement of a principle, a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment, or an ingeniously terse style of expression.)
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers.”
Walter Hagen, American professional golfer who won 11 major championships
“It is said that nothing is impossible; but there are lots of people doing nothing every day.”
Theodor Rosyfelt (unknown author)
“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.”
Bonnie Friedman, best-selling author of books on writing and personal essays
“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
Anne Lamott, American novelist and nonfiction writer
“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist, actress, and civil rights activist
“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.”
Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, logician, philosopher, and public intellectual
“When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep.”
Ursula K. Le Guin, American author
“Don’t struggle about the struggle. In other words, life’s full of ups and downs.”
Sean Covey, American author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
“Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.”
George MacDonald, Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister
“It’s not a man’s working hours that are important – it’s his leisure hours. That’s the mistake we all make.”
Agatha Christie, best-selling fiction writer of all time and the “Queen of Crime”
“I worry about the things I can affect, and the things I have no control over I move by.”
Lenny Wilkens, American former basketball player and coach
“In philosophy, if you aren’t moving at a snail’s pace, you aren’t moving at all.”
Iris Murdoch, Irish and British writer of novels and philosophy
“It’s really important to have balance, spend some time in nature, go to a few parties, enjoy friends and really chill out.”
Joakim Noah, former professional basketball player
“I just refuse to worry or get upset or be fearful. It doesn’t do one particle of good.”
Paul Henderson, Canadian left wing hockey player who played in the NHL, WHA and CHL
“Never hurry. Nature never does.”
John Lubbock, British banker, politician, scientist, and polymath who coined the terms “Paleolithic” and “Neolithic” (Here goes – polymath = a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning)
“Life flies by, and it’s easy to get lost in the blur …. I think the trick is living the questions. Not worrying so much about what’s ahead but, rather, sitting in the gray area – being OK with where you are.”
Chris Pine, American actor; best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movie
“Sleep is God. Go worship.”
Jim Butcher, American author
“Of all the free pleasures out there for the taking, the nap is the easiest and most satisfying.”
Dan Kiernan, member of Darden Restaurants’ Executive Team that leads a company with more than 900 restaurants and Tom Hodgkinson, British writer and the editor of The Idler magazine
“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
Herodotus, Greek historian and geographer
“Take each day as its own day, and don’t worry about it if you mess up one day.”
Henry Cloud, bestselling author, speaker and consultant on leadership, boundaries, and faith.
“My father taught me to work, but not to love it. I never did like to work, and I don’t deny it. I’d rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh – anything but work.”
Abraham Lincoln, American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States
“A lot of high-profile companies are recognizing the benefits of power napping …. It’s like kindergarten all over again.”
Stefanie Weisman, Communications and Design Associate at The Bronfman Fellowship
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
Henry David Thoreau, American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher
“To do great work, one must be very idle as well as very industrious.”
Samuel Butler, poet and satirist
“It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.”
Thomas Aquinas, considered one of the Catholic Church’s greatest theologians and philosophers
“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
Benjamin Franklin, American author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, diplomat, Founding
“I can’t live my life worrying about something tht might never happen.”
Bill Parcells, former American football coach and head coach
“I count it as an absolute certainty that in paradise, everyone naps.”
Tom Hodgkinson, British writer and the editor of The Idler magazine
“A broad margin of leisure is as beautiful in a man’s life as in a book. Haste makes waste. No less in life than in housekeeping.”
Henry David Thoreau, American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher
“My philosophy is to take one day at a time. Tomorrow is even out of sight for me.”
Bobby Darin, American singer, songwriter, and actor who sang pop, jazz, rock, and folk music
“Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Look to tomorrow. Test this afternoon.”
Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, the creator of the comic strip Peanuts
The most patient animal in the world is the ant lion (also known as doodle bugs). They must wait at the bottom of their funnel home for their prey to stumble into it.
Marj Becker, American educator, librarian, author (poetry, children’s stories, essays), secretary, parent, grandparent, friend
Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are appreciated.