“The More a Person Limits Himself, the More Resourceful He Becomes.”
We’ve already talked about the importance of boredom for both creativity and a healthy lifestyle. The above quote from the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard reminds us how important this is.
The quote is taken from Crop Rotation: Enterprise in the Theory of Social Caution. In the essay, Kierkegaard talks at length about the importance of idleness and boredom. Basically, the more we do to get rid of boredom, the more difficult it gets:
Here at once is the principle of limitation, the only principle of salvation in the world. The more a person limits himself, the more inventive he becomes. The solitary prisoner for life is extremely resourceful; for him, the spider can be a source of great pleasure … What a meticulous observer a person becomes, catching every sound or movement. This is the extreme limit of the principle that seeks relief not through extension, but through intensity.
It’s a nice reminder that sometimes it’s enough to limit yourself and just get creative with what you have in front of you.
Kierkegaard on boredom … | Gathering brains