You are allowed to rest without earning it first. A body run only on proof of usefulness is a body being quietly used up.

The thought behind it

You are allowed. That is the entire argument, made without sentiment and without asking anyone else to agree. Quiet Power is the strength that leaves no evidence — the no, the pause, the purchase that never happened. The line turns on “rest” — remove that single word and what is left is advice you have already ignored.