All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.

Other creatures do not seem to agonise over whether they have earned their afternoon in the sun. People, by contrast, often treat enjoyment as a reward that must be justified, something to have after the real business of life is done. The result is a lot of postponed pleasure that never arrives.

You need not agree that enjoyment is the whole point to see the value here. Notice how often you defer something you would enjoy until you have finished something else. Try taking one pleasure this week without first earning it, and pay attention to how much guilt comes with it.