[4]
Again, do not we ourselves,
when unexpectedly called upon to plead, speak
while we are thinking what we are to say next,
invention of argument, choice of words, rhythm,
gesture, delivery, facial expression and movement all
being required simultaneously? If all these things
can be done with one effort in spite of their
diversity, why should we not divide our hours among
different branches of study? We must remember
that variety serves to refresh and restore the mind,
and that it is really considerably harder to work at
one subject without intermission. Consequently we
should give the pen a rest by turning to read, and
relieve the tedium of reading by changes of subject.
However manifold our activities, in a certain sense
we come fresh to each new subject.
Quintilian. With an English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1920.
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