“Those who are wise won't be busy, and those who are too busy can't be wise.”
Source: The Importance of Living (1937), p. 150
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Lin Yutang67
Chinese writer 1895–1976Related quotes
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) 1817-1862 American poet, essayist, naturalist, and abolitionist
No known citation to Thoreau's works. First found, uncredited, in the 1940s in the variant "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to look for it", p. 711, Locomotive Engineers Journal, Volume 76, 1942. Google Books http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=N6GZAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Success+usually+comes+to+those+who+are+too+busy%22&dq=%22Success+usually+comes+to+those+who+are+too+busy%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1900&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1980&as_brr=0 <br class="br">Misattributed
“Philanthropy is part of our DNA - business-wise and family-wise.”
Sukanto Tanoto (1949) Indonesian businessman
CNBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCBNr3punKw <br class="br">2017
“We cannot make Events. Our Business is wisely to improve them.”
Samuel Adams (1722–1803) American statesman, Massachusetts governor, and political philosopher
Letter to Samuel Cooper (30 April 1776) http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2093 <br class="br">Context: We cannot make Events. Our Business is wisely to improve them. There has been much to do to confirm doubting Friends & fortify the Timid. It requires time to bring honest Men to think & determine alike even in important Matters. Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason.
“Those who have least to do are generally the most busy people in the world.”
Samuel Richardson book The History of Sir Charles Grandison
Vol. 2, letter 3.
Sir Charles Grandison (1753–1754)
“People who are busy and happy don’t write diaries; they are too busy living.”
Robert A. Heinlein book Friday
Source: Friday (1982), Chapter 33 (p. 353)