arise, or be forever fall’n” [Paradise Lost]; dii pia facta vident [Lat][Ovid]; faire sans dire[Fr]; fare fac[It]; fronte capillata post est occasio calva[Lat]; “our deeds are sometimes better than our thoughts” [Bailey]; “the great end of life is not knowledge but action” [Huxley]; “thought is the soul of act” [R.  Browning]; vivre-ce nest pas respirer c’est agir[Fr][obs3]; “we live in deeds not years” [Bailey].

     #681.  Inaction. —­ N. inaction, passiveness, abstinence from action;
noninterference, nonintervention; Fabian policy, conservative policy; neglect &c. 460.
     inactivity &c. 683; rest &c. (repose) 687; quiescence &c. 265; want of
occupation, inoccupation[obs3]; idle hours, time hanging on one’s hands, dolce far niente[It]; sinecure, featherbed, featherbedding, cushy job, no-show job; soft snap, soft thing. 
     V. not do, not act, not attempt; be inactive &c. 683; abstain from
doing, do nothing, hold, spare; not stir, not move, not lift a finger, not lift a foot, not lift a peg; fold one’s arms, fold one’s hands; leave alone, let alone; let be, let pass, let things take their course, let it have its way, let well alone, let well enough alone; quieta non movere[Lat]; stare super antiquas vias[Lat][obs3]; rest and be thankful, live and let live; lie rest upon one’s oars; laisser aller[Fr], faire[Fr]; stand aloof; refrain &c. (avoid) 623 keep oneself from doing; remit one’s efforts, relax one’s efforts; desist &c. (relinquish) 624; stop &c. (cease) 142; pause &c. (be quiet) 265.
     wait, lie in wait, bide one’s time, take time, tide it over.
     cool one’s heels, kick one’s heels; while away the time, while away
tedious hours; pass the time, fill up the time, beguile the time; talk against time; let the grass grow under one’s feet; waste time &c. (inactive) 683.
     lie by, lie on the shelf, lie in ordinary, lie idle, lie to, lie
fallow; keep quiet, slug; have nothing to do, whistle for want of thought.
     undo, do away with; take down, take to pieces; destroy &c. 162. 
     Adj. not doing &c. v.; not done &c. v.; undone; passive; unoccupied,
unemployed; out of employ, out of work; fallow; desaeuvre[Fr]. 
     Adv. re infecta[Lat], at a stand, les bras croisis[Fr], with folded
arms; with the hands in the pockets, with the hands behind one’s back; pour passer le temps[Fr]. 
     Int. so let it be! stop! &c. 142; hands off! 
     Phr. cunctando restituit rem “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
[Lat][Bert Lance]; stare decisis [Latin:  (Law) let the decision stand].

—­ p. 219 —­

     #682.  Activity. —­ N. activity; briskness, liveliness &c. adj.;
animation, life, vivacity, spirit, dash, energy; snap, vim.
     nimbleness, agility; smartness, quickness &c. adj.; velocity, &c. 274;
alacrity, promptitude; despatch, dispatch; expedition; haste &c. 684; punctuality &c. (early) 132.
     eagerness, zeal, ardor,