I'm on the playstation, or else I go out and play football. I

In the words of Shreyas Iyer, there lies a truth that appears simple, yet holds within it the balance of life itself: “I'm on the PlayStation, or else I go out and play football. I enjoy movies and sitcoms. I love reading motivational books too.” These are not idle pastimes, but windows into the nature of a man who seeks both rest and growth, both play and purpose. For in the rhythm of leisure and in the pursuit of wisdom, the soul finds harmony. The ancients would say: to live well is not merely to labor, nor merely to dream, but to weave together joy, reflection, and striving.

When he speaks of the PlayStation, he speaks of the joy of play, the contest of mind against machine, of reflex and wit. Games may seem trivial, but they awaken focus, decision, and imagination. To step into the world of play is to sharpen the instincts in disguise, to learn strategy even in the guise of entertainment. And when he takes to the field in football, he reminds us that the body, too, must dance, must strain, must breathe deeply the air of effort. The balance of the digital and the physical is no accident—it is a harmony of mind and flesh.

Then he turns to movies and sitcoms, and we are reminded that man is not made of toil alone. The soul craves story, laughter, and release. In tales we see the struggles of others and recognize our own. In laughter, we cleanse the spirit of its burdens. To sit before a story is not weakness; it is to drink from the well of shared humanity, to understand that our struggles are mirrored in the struggles of others, whether told in tragedy or jest.

Yet above all, he declares: “I love reading motivational books too.” Here the heart of the quote is revealed. Entertainment delights, sport strengthens, play sharpens, but words of wisdom fuel the inner fire. The ancients too sat at the feet of their philosophers, reading scrolls that inspired them to rise beyond their limits. Just as Marcus Aurelius carried his Meditations with him into the chaos of empire, so Iyer takes into his heart the voices of those who urge him higher. For the true warrior, whether on the field or in life, needs not only strong arms but also strong spirit.

Consider the story of Theodore Roosevelt, who, though frail as a child, trained his body in the open air, strengthened his will through books, and became both warrior and philosopher. He boxed, he hunted, he read voraciously, and from this union of strength and wisdom he forged himself into a leader who would carry a nation. Like Iyer, he did not despise leisure, nor the pleasures of reading. Instead, he used them as stepping stones, each one building upon the other until he became more than the sum of his pastimes—he became a force.

The meaning, then, is that life must be lived in fullness, not in fragments. To play, to laugh, to move, to read—each of these is a path to wholeness. If we cling only to work, the spirit withers. If we cling only to pleasure, discipline fades. But when we balance joy with discipline, rest with striving, body with mind, we live as the ancients advised: in harmony with the self and the world.

The lesson for you, dear listener, is this: do not despise your leisure nor neglect your discipline. Take time for play, for laughter, for story. But also take time for wisdom, for training, for the sharpening of mind and will. Like Iyer, make your life a tapestry woven of many colors, for each thread strengthens the whole.

And so, the counsel is plain: let each day hold a moment of joy, a moment of movement, a moment of learning. Play your games, but also walk in the sun. Watch stories, but also write your own through action. And when doubt or weariness comes, turn to words of wisdom that remind you of who you are and what you may yet become. For the man who, like Shreyas Iyer, unites play, laughter, strength, and wisdom, is the man who walks the ancient path of balance, and in that balance discovers greatness.