Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3: The Path of Action
Bhagavad Gita 3.5
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् ।
कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिजैर्गुणैः ॥
na hi kaścitkṣaṇamapi jātu tiṣṭhatyakarmakṛt | kāryate hyavaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛtijairguṇaiḥ ||
No one can remain even for a moment without acting. Everyone is made to act, helplessly, by the qualities born of nature.
Modern context
No one can stay without acting even for a moment. Breathing, thinking, deciding not to decide: all are actions, and our nature drives them whether we consent or not. So the real choice is never between acting and not acting. It is between acting consciously and being pushed along unawares.