“Bowmen bend their bows when they wish to shoot; unbrace them when the shooting is over. Were they kept always strung they would break, and fail the archer in time of need. So it is with men. If they give themselves constantly to serious work, and never indulge awhile in pastime or sport, they lose their senses, and become mad or moody.”
~ ‘The History’ by Herodotus (George Rawlinson translation. GB6 - p. 86)
The quote above reminded me of the popular saying - “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. This was said by Amasis, who Herodotus credits as the greatest king of Egypt.
“It is said that the reign of Amasis was the most prosperous time that Egypt ever saw, —the river was more liberal to the land, and the land brought forth more abundantly for the service of man than had ever been known before;”