«قَالُوا لِلْكَاتِبِ: اسْتِرَيَّحْ. قَامْ وِقِفْ»

The scribe here is a stock figure for someone whose work keeps him seated, bent over a desk all day, so when he is told to take a break, the natural thing for him is to get up on his feet. Standing, which wears out most people, is exactly what refreshes him.

The saying points out that rest is relative to a person's habits and situation. What relieves one person may exhaust another, so comfort cannot be judged by a single standard. It warns against assuming that everyone recovers in the same way.

Use it when someone's idea of relaxing looks odd or even tiring to others, or to argue that a single prescription for comfort will not suit everyone. It works as a light, knowing remark rather than as a rebuke.