He must not only learn to relax, but also learn to relax in the very midst of this intensely stimulated working life which America thrusts upon him. Whenever in the morning or the afternoon it seems that he must pack an overwhelming amount of work into a short time and must feverishly try to complete it, the very moment this is realized, he should get up and leave both office and work. He should walk slowly and leisurely outdoors, amid the bushes and trees or out in the open spaces until this foolishness, this needless anxiety to get finished something that by its very nature can never be finished, is forgotten. Then, and only then, may he return to the office desk and continue calmly at his task. It is idling, yes, but who shall say that idling, too, has not its value?--at least as much value as overdoing oneself? Is it not rather a kind of receptive serenity?
-- Notebooks Category 3: Relax and Retreat > Chapter 2 : Withdraw from Tension and Pressure > # 29
