On Work and Play

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.”

— James A. Michener
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  • http://intensedebate.com/people/JonathanPaul JonathanPaul

    Yeah, that's awesome! Thanks for sharing!

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  • http://www.anchoradvisors.com Brad Farris

    Michael:

    Thanks for this, what a great quote. As my wife said, "That's what children do. For kids their play is their work…"

    Thanks!

  • http://www.aboundmarketing.com Harvey Ramer

    This is a good reminder. I'll try to remember this when work begins to feel too much like "work"!

  • Michael Newheart

    Great quotation. Where did Michener say this? Also, it was difficult for me to get past the gender-exclusive language (the repeated use of "he" and "his"), though I know that Michener was probably writing before most of us were sensitized to such issues. (I wonder if that's a good excuse, though.)

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  • Patricia Wooldridge

    A great comment. Given Mr. Michener’s work methods/work ethic, and his love of travel and research, how could he feel any other way? I’m glad he shared this thought with others. Sometimes we don’t realize how much we feel a certain way, until we see it in someone else’s words. Isn’t it nice for someone like him, to give us a glimpse into his mind. And how could he write so prolifically if he DIDN’T feel that way?

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