Who said, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?"?

Question

Mark Twain says: "Do something everyday that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain."

Is it possible to do too many things in a day that we don't want to do and that will result in viewing life as painful and creating depression? Are too many Americans living like this in search of either a money making career or fame?

My thought of the day is "where is the balance?" Was whoever said All work and no play... at least as intellegent as Mark Twain?

Answer 1

Actually, the whole quote is this:

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy."

Here's a source:  http://www.answers.com/topic/all-work-an...  The year 1659 is given for this proverb, although no author is cited.

Yes, there are many treadmills onto which we place ourselves.  And although we also admonish ourselves to stop and smell the roses, we are told from day one to put our noses to the grindstone and work hard to be a success, i.e. have a large salary and buy lots of stuff.

Companies (some of them) talk about work-life balance.  Yeah, as long as the balance is weighted towards the company.

I'm not arguing against diligence and hard work.  But it can suck the soul right out of you if it's always for someone else.