When sometimes I have applied myself to contemplating the diverse activities of men and the dangers and the troubles that they expose themselves to at court or in battle, giving rise to so many quarrels, or passions, or rash and often nefarious enterprises and so forth, I have often said that all human unhappiness comes from one thing alone, the inability to remain quietly in a room. If a man who is wealthy enough to lead an easy existence knew how to find pleasure in remaining at home, he would not leave home to venture onto the seas or besiege a fortress. The only reason why one pays such a high price for a commission in the army is because one would find it unbearable to remain in town. And the only reason why one goes out in search of company and the diversion offered by gambling is because one cannot find pleasure in staying at home. And so on.
Blaise Pascal — Pensees IX,168
