Go to the ant, you sluggard;

consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander,

no overseer or ruler,

yet it stores its provisions in summer

and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

When will you get up from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Character Check
How can I cut down on my busyness and yet be more fruitful?

In Business Terms
For a long time, I didn't understand the spiritual significance of sloth. I thought it was simply a matter of developing better work habits, becoming more motivated, or working harder or smarter.

A billion-dollar cottage industry-the motivational market-has emerged precisely because we no longer understand the true significance of sloth and hence don't know how to respond to it. We go from motivational speaker to seminar to book to tape, as if we were basketballs with slow leaks trying to find someone or something ...