“Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect ...
So learn to say No—and to be rude about it when necessary.
Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own
work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble
away your life and leave none of it for you. (This rule does not mean that you
must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be
yours. Don't do it because it is "expected" of you.)”
Time Enough
for Love - Robert Heinlein
Without commitment to agree or disagree I suggest that the quote is a philosophy of life elegantly stated, and leave it at that.
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