On a blessing that asks too much
“Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.”
The first half is true for anyone who has had work that fit. The second half is where Carlyle overreaches, and it is worth noticing rather than absorbing.
Ask no other blessedness is a great deal to ask. A life is not owed to its labour, however good the labour is, and the century that took this line seriously built some grim things on it. The finding is a blessing. It is not the only one available.