>Well, you still have your nose, so you must have looked away from the grindstone now and then.
>The point of the aphorism is that if you're continually grinding away and not getting anywhere, it's time to stop and look around.
>
>So what, exactly, is your point? There is more to life than work. That doesn't mean that it is a bad idea to work hard.

Nope.
Hard work never hurt anyone and it's a prerequisite for just about anything of value.
But if you're working hard and not achieving what you want to achieve, maybe you're not working hard at the right thing.