Idleness and the incapacity for leisure correspond withn one another. Leisure is the contrary of both. This restlessness and despair are the twin children of acedia. Finally, idleness so far from being synonymous with leisure, is an inner disposition rendering leisure impossible. Leisure is not the ilnevitable result of spare time, a holiday, a week-end or a vacation.
Leisure is a form of that silence which is the prerequisite of the apprehension of reality. .
Leisure implies a certain serenity flowing from our recognition of the mysterious nature of the universe and the courage to be content to let things take their course. . . It is possible only on the premise that man consents to his own true nature and abides in concord with the meaning of the universe. It is like the tranquil silence of lovers, which is lived in witness to an intense immanent activity. The pause can be made for the sake of work. Leisure does not exist for the sake of work.