Expression: "To be idle..."

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Please see below:

“To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.”
Robert Stevenson

Could you please explain it to me?

Millions of thanks in advance

Yours

Tom

2

Hi Tom

I’d interpret it this way:

Since many (most?) people define (identify) themselves in terms of what they do, you must already have a strong sense of identity if you don’t do anything.

Amy