The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–86) American Essayist, Drama Critic
Men, for the sake of getting a living forget to live.
—Margaret Fuller (1810–50) American Feminist, Writer, Revolutionary
Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.
—Thomas Dekker
He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.
—Lily Tomlin (b.1939) American Comedy Actress
Fatigue is the best pillow.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy the sunlight today, mix good cheer with friends today, enjoy it and bless God for it. Do not look back on happiness—or dream of it in the future. You are only sure of today; do not let yourself be cheated out of it.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
Thou driftest gently down the tides of sleep.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
What all men are really after is some form, or perhaps only some formula, of peace.
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) Polish-born British Novelist
Health is the first muse, and sleep is the condition to produce it.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Sleep … peace of the soul, who puttest care to flight.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
—Unknown
Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Polymath, Painter, Sculptor, Inventor, Architect
Sleep, Silence’s child, sweet father of soft rest, Prince whose approach peace to all mortals brings, Indifferent host to shepherds and kings, Sole comforter to minds with grief oppressed.
—William Eugene Drummond (1876–1946) American Architect
It’s fun to get together and have something good to eat at least once a day. That’s what human life is all about—enjoying things.
—Julia Child (1912–2004) American Cook, Author
Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed.
—Indra Devi (1899–2002) Russian-American Yoga Teacher
Methought I heard a voice cry Sleep no more,
Macbeth does murder sleep the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care
The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
O bed! O bed! Delicious bed! That heaven on earth to the weary head.
—Thomas Hood (1799–1845) English Poet, Humorist
Everything is un-American that tends either to government by a plutocracy or government by a mob. To divide along the lines of section or caste or creed is un-American. All privileges based on wealth, and all enmity to honest men merely because they are wealthy, are un-American-both of them equally so. The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
Go to bed early, get up early—this is wise.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Sleep is the most blessed and blessing of all natural graces.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Essayist, Short Story Writer, Satirist
Now blessings light on him that first invented this same sleep: it covers a man all over, thoughts and all, like a cloak; ‘Tis meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. ‘Tis the current coin that purchases all the pleasures of the world cheap; and the balance that sets the king and the shepherd, the fool and the wise-man even. There is only one thing that I dislike in sleep; ‘Tis that it resembles death; there’s very little difference between a man in his first sleep, and a man in his last sleep.
—Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) Spanish Novelist
And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
There is more to life than increasing its speed.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Man needs a day of rest from the cares, toils, and trials of the six days of work in the material realm. He needs to reflect, meditate, contemplate, and to turn his eyes inward, as it were, rather than outwards.
—Anonymous
There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.
—Sylvia Plath (1932–63) American Poet, Novelist
No one can get inner peace by pouncing on it.
—Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) American Baptist Minister
Give your stress wings and let it fly away.
—Terri Guillemets
Come, Sleep! O Sleep, the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release,
Th’ indifferent judge between the high and low.
—Philip Sidney (1554–86) English Soldier Poet, Courtier