All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. — English proverb

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All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. — English proverb · Smartyfair

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

English proverb

Source foundPlayWisdomAncient

In plain words

If you only ever work and never play, life gets boring.

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How sure this is: 85% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: First printed in James Howell's Proverbs, or Old Sayed-Sawes, and Adages in the English Toung (1659), p.12, per Wikipedia's sourced history section.
Work: Proverbs, or Old Sayed-Sawes, and Adages in the English Toung (James Howell)
Occasion: 1659 · England · earliest known printing of this saying
Sources checked: en.wikipedia.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026History section: earliest documented source is James Howell's Proverbs (1659), p.12