Give and take. Seneca, Epistulae 1.3.5-6

The nature of things teaches us to act when the mind is quiet, and to rest when it is active. You can hear me read this passage <here>.

Sic utrosque reprehendas, et eos qui semper inquieti sunt, et eos qui semper quiescunt. Nam illa tumultu gaudens non est industria sed exagitatae mentis concursatio, et haec non est quies quae motum omnem molestiam iudicat, sed dissolutio et languor. Itaque hoc quod apud Pomponium legi animo mandabitur: 'quidam adeo in latebras refugerunt ut putent in turbido esse quidquid in luce est'. Inter se ista miscenda sunt: et quiescenti agendum et agenti quiescendum est. Cum rerum natura delibera: illa dicet tibi et diem fecisse se et noctem. Vale.

So you should reprove both those who are always restless, and those who never move. Delighting in confusion is not industry, but the racing of a thoroughly agitated mind, and it is not peace that judges every motion irksome, but lethargy and laziness. Commit to memory this saying I have taken from Pomponius (†): “Some have sought refuge so deep within the shadows that they suppose anything in the light must be utterly wild.” Action and rest must be joined together: the mind at rest must act, and the mind that races must rest. Take counsel with the nature of things: she will tell you what she has done by day, and by night. Farewell.

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(†) Titus Pomponius Atticus, also known as Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus after his adoption by Quintus Caecilius, his maternal uncle. We remember Atticus for his correspondence with Cicero, which he published in their lifetime along with various other works, including his translations of Aeschines, Demosthenes, and Plato, and some original compositions (a Greek account of Cicero's consulship, a Latin book on Roman chronology, and some Latin poetry). The team of professional slaves required to promulgate these editions was funded by Atticus' investments in real estate. His family were well-heeled Roman knights, allied with the optimates (like Cicero), but Atticus preferred to avoid politics as much as possible, despite his association with Cicero, Lucius Licinius Lucullus, and Marcus Licinius Crassus. His nickname Atticus arose as a result of his moving to Athens to finish his education. His death in Rome, at the ripe old age of 77, came about as a result of self-starvation, echoing legends of the philosophers (notably Democritus).