One’s action ought to come out of an achieved stillness: not to be a mere rushing on.

The sentence contrasts two modes of living: action that springs from inner composure versus action driven by haste, agitation, or mere momentum. “Achieved stillness” implies a hard-won state—quietness reached through self-knowledge, restraint, or attentiveness—out of which purposeful action can arise. The warning against “rushing on” critiques modern busyness and compulsive activity, suggesting that movement without inward grounding becomes mechanical and unfree. In Lawrence’s broader thought, authentic vitality depends on being in contact with one’s deeper instincts and feelings; stillness is not passivity but a condition that clarifies desire and restores agency, making action more deliberate, truthful, and alive.