In the first part of the talk, I discuss the chromospheric activity of quiet Sun. The so-called basal flux, the minimum chromospheric emission of main sequence stars, is discussed in terms of magnetic and non-magnetic heatings. The second half of the talk is about variability of the solar cycle. The extended minimum of the last cycle caused speculations about a possible long-term decline in the solar activity. Based on our observations in past 15 years, I argue that the Sun does not cease to generate sunspots in the next cycle. Finally I outline new tools to evaluate chromospheric activities.