Quote Origin: One of the Symptoms of Approaching Nervous Breakdown Is the Belief That One’s Work Is Terribly Important

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Bertrand Russell? Apocryphal?

Depiction of three tired figures from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Many people are forgoing holidays and overworking themselves. Here is a pertinent quotation:

One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.

These words have been attributed to British philosopher Bertrand Russell. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1930 Bertrand Russell published “The Conquest of Happiness” which included a section about the causes of unhappiness. A chapter within the section discussed fatigue. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

The more tired a man becomes, the more impossible he finds it to stop. One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important and that to take a holiday would bring all kinds of disaster. If I were a medical man, I should prescribe a holiday to any patient who considered his work important.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

In November 1930 Russell’s book was reviewed in “The Modern Churchman”. The quotation caught the eye of the reviewer, and it was reprinted:2

‘If I were a medical man, I should prescribe a holiday to any patient who considered his work important. One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important, and that to take a holiday would bring all kinds of disaster.’

In 1986 “The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations” included the following entry:3

One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. If I were a medical man, I should prescribe a holiday to any patient who considered his work important.
Bertrand Russell, The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, Vol.2, 1968

In 1997 “How to Give a Damn Good Speech” by Philip R. Theibert contained a section with “250 Great Quotations”. The following item was included:4

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that ones work is terribly important.
Bertrand Russell, 20th-century philosopher and mathematician

In conclusion, Bertrand Russell deserves credit for this quotation. He wrote it in his 1930 book “The Conquest of Happiness”.

Image Notes: Depiction of three tired figures from Marco Bianchetti at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Vic DiGenti of the Florida Writers Association who mentioned this quotation in an electronic newsletter which led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

  1. 1930, The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell, Part One: Causes of Unhappiness, Chapter 5: Fatigue, Quote Page 74, Horace Liveright, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  2. 1930 November, The Modern Churchman, Volume 20, Number 8, How To Be Happy by J.C.H. (Book review of “The Conquest of Happiness” by Bertrand Russell), Start Page 484, Quote Page 484, Knaresborough, England. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  3. 1986, The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations, Compiled by Fred Metcalf, Topic: Work, Quote Page 271, Column 1, Viking Penguin, New York. (Verified on paper) ↩︎
  4. 1997, How to Give a Damn Good Speech by Philip R. Theibert, Part 5: 250 Great Quotations, Quotation Number 57, Quote Page 147, Career Press, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. (Verified with scans) ↩︎