Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3: The Path of Action
Bhagavad Gita 3.4
न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते ।
न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥
na karmaṇāmanārambhānnaiṣkarmyaṃ puruṣo'śnute | na ca saṃnyasanādeva siddhiṃ samadhigacchati ||
A person does not reach freedom from action simply by not starting any action, nor does anyone attain perfection by renunciation alone.
Modern context
Freedom from the bondage of action is not reached by avoiding action. Leaving a job, a relationship or a duty does not in itself bring peace; the restless mind goes along. What binds is the grasping with which we act. That can be dropped while the work continues, and it can persist long after the work is abandoned.