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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor.—The A Piece of My Mind by Dr Linzer¹ has meaning for all physicians, whether private practitioners or physician-administrators in academic teaching hospitals.

Clearly, we impoverish not only our emotional lives but our spiritual and intellectual ones as well by our inordinate adulation of work. Others have reflected on this years ago when life was slower; imagine how critical their comments would be if they were written today.

In his collection of essays, In Praise of Idleness,² Bertrand Russell, the British philosopher, had the following comment about excessive respect for work: "I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work."

Edward J. Volpintesta, MD
Bethel Medical Group
Bethel, Conn

1. Linzer M. Leaders or lemmings? JAMA. 1998;279:341. FREE FULL TEXT 2. Russell B. In Praise of Idleness. London, England: Unwin Paperbacks; 1996:11.

To the Editor.—I trust . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Leaders or Lemmings?
Mark Linzer
JAMA. 1998;279(5):341.
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