Who said “Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.”?

Verified

William Cowper. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceRetirement (1782)

Find Retirement on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Retirement (1782).

APA

Cowper, W. (n.d.). Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/35836-absence-of-occupation-is-not-rest-a-mind/

MLA

Cowper, William. “Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/35836-absence-of-occupation-is-not-rest-a-mind/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Cowper, William. “Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/35836-absence-of-occupation-is-not-rest-a-mind/.

Related quotes

“For too much rest becomes a pain.”
— Homer
Rest
Report
“Rest is the sweet sauce of labor.”
— Plutarch
Rest
Report

More quotes by William Cowper

All 40 William Cowper quotes →