People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the

The words of Thomas Sowell, “People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do,” strike with the sharpness of truth and the weight of experience. They are not merely a reflection on laziness, but a warning about the collision between idleness and purpose. Those without vision or duty often drift into the lives of the diligent, not to help, but to distract, to drain, to pull them away from the path of meaningful labor. Sowell, economist and philosopher, speaks here with the clarity of one who has watched how society’s balance is disturbed when the idle consume the time of the committed.

The origin of this teaching lies in Sowell’s observations on human behavior, politics, and economics. He often spoke of incentives, costs, and the unseen consequences of actions. Here he turns his eye not to markets, but to the currency of all existence: time. For time is wealth more precious than gold, and when wasted, it cannot be reclaimed. Those with nothing to do often fail to grasp this, and so they trifle, chatter, or meddle, costing the laborer hours that could have built, created, or healed. Sowell reminds us that idleness does not remain in isolation—it spills over, consuming the lives of others.

The ancients knew this truth well. In the words of Proverbs, “He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.” The idle do not waste only their own days, but the strength of those around them. Consider the Roman Empire in its decline: the senators and citizens who had once labored with duty grew accustomed to bread and circuses, consuming while others worked. Their idleness drained the vigor of the state, and the empire, once mighty, crumbled beneath the weight of wasted time. The laborers of Rome were not undone by their own weakness, but by the indifference of those who wasted what others built.

A more personal tale is found in the life of Booker T. Washington. In the early years of Tuskegee Institute, every hand was needed, every moment vital. Washington himself rose before dawn, working with students to build classrooms from clay bricks they made themselves. Yet he warned his students against idle chatterers and those who dragged others from their tasks, for he knew that even one hour wasted could mean days of progress lost. He understood, as Sowell declares, that the idle not only waste themselves—they waste those whose lives are devoted to creation.

The meaning of Sowell’s words extends beyond the workplace into the deeper moral order. Time is sacred, the measure of our days upon earth. To waste another’s time is not a trivial fault but a theft, robbing them of hours they could have used to shape destiny, to feed their family, to pursue their calling. It is an unseen injustice, but no less real than stealing bread from the hungry. Those with time and no purpose are charged to guard their interactions, lest they dishonor the sacred toil of those whose hands are full.

The lesson is this: be vigilant with your time, and respect the time of others. Do not allow idlers to distract you from your calling, and do not become an idler in the life of another. When you engage, bring value; when you speak, speak with purpose; when you enter another’s labor, enter as a helper, not a thief. The wise steward not only guards his own hours, but honors the hours of those around him.

Practical action lies before us. Set boundaries against those who waste your time, not in cruelty, but in firmness. Choose your company wisely, seeking out those whose presence strengthens rather than weakens your focus. Be mindful in conversation, in meetings, in every interaction—ask yourself whether you are giving or taking away from the time of others. In this way, your life will be marked not by waste, but by honor.

Thus, in the voice of the ancients, we declare: Blessed are those who labor with purpose, for their work shall bear fruit. Cursed are those who squander time, for they rob themselves and their brothers alike. And let us remember always the wisdom of Thomas Sowell: that idleness is not merely harmless, but a thief of the most precious treasure we possess—time.