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In Praise of Idleness: A Timeless Essay

“Most People Would Die Sooner Than Think”

— Bertrand Russell

Considered “the Voltaire of his time”, Bertrand Russell was a fearless iconoclast who stood unbowed before political and religious leaders; his disdain for conventional thinking and accepted beliefs set him apart from his academic peers and at odds with the authorities throughout his long and storied life.

In his celebrated essay In Praise Of Idleness, Russell champions the seemingly incongruous notion that realising our full potential — and thus enjoying the greatest possible success and happiness — is not accomplished by working harder or smarter, but through harnessing the extraordinary power of idleness.

Russell’s penetrating insights and exquisite turns of phrase feel as fresh and relevant today as when they were first written. Arguing that we can achieve far more by doing far less, and that traditional wealth accumulation is a form of cultural and moral poverty, Russell demands greater depth from our age of abundant creativity and heralds the next wave of enlightened entrepreneurs.

Replete with a new introduction and afterword, and interspersed with comic illustrations, informative notes plus a curated selection of Russell’s best quotes from many of his acclaimed works, this unique edition of In Praise Of Idleness is given new life by New York Times — bestselling author and internationally acclaimed humourist Bradley Trevor Greive.

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 192
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781760640736
  • Genres
  • philosophy, essays, economics
  • Release date
  • 2018