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Work Quotes

Quotes on the meaning of work.

Several quotes here describe work as a solitary process, one that takes real effort to protect from distraction, while others connect a person's politics directly to the character of their work. Related reading includes Growth Quotes.

My grandfather was a very elegant individual. My father also. He was a lawyer and farmer in Cuba. In Miami, he had to go to work wherever he could. But whenever it was time to go out, you saw how...

Quotes by Andy Garcia

I think it's most important for children to understand the concept of respect and manners and also work ethic. I have a responsibility to those who came before me.

Quotes by Andy Garcia

The reality is that the work I do is not private work. I bring all my secrets, my life, to my work. Anybody who's seen my work knows everything about me.

Quotes by Andy Garcia

If you have the right actors and you can give them the freedom to explore, you've done a lot of your work as a director.

Quotes by Andy Garcia

As with all my work, whether it's a leaf on a rock or ice on a rock, I'm trying to get beneath the surface appearance of things. Working the surface of a stone is an attempt to understand the internal...

Quotes by Andy Goldsworthy

It takes between three and six hours to make each snowball, depending on snow quality. Wet snow is quick to work with but also quick to thaw, which can lead to a tense journey to the cold store.

Quotes by Andy Goldsworthy

I am not a performer but occasionally I deliberately work in a public context. Some sculptures need the movement of people around them to work.

Quotes by Andy Goldsworthy

Ideas must be put to the test. That's why we make things, otherwise they would be no more than ideas. There is often a huge difference between an idea and its realisation. I've had what I thought were great ideas...

Quotes by Andy Goldsworthy

Photography is a way of putting distance between myself and the work which sometimes helps me to see more clearly what it is that I have made.

Quotes by Andy Goldsworthy

Seeing what kinds of songs work in other cities and other parts of the world was pretty eye-opening. I know it changed how I approached the second record big-time.

Quotes by Andy Grammer

For each person, they live their life and their truth and how it works for them, and that's just kind of how it works for me. I'm not good at doing whatever the other way is - it wouldn't work...

Quotes by Andy Grammer

I know that sounds almost horribly cheesy, but that is what has to happen if you're gonna make a relationship work for a long time: You have to keep learning new things that are interesting about this person or having...

Quotes by Andy Grammer

I think I'm genuinely sincere, and that's what hopefully makes it work. I take that very seriously when I'm writing.

Quotes by Andy Grammer

It's not enough to make time for your children. There are certain stages in their lives when you have to give them the time when they want it. You can't run your family like a company. It doesn't work.

Quotes by Andy Grove

I believe my publisher has shown a great deal of faith in me over a lot of years but I'm not prepared to be so arrogant to say that the long-term literary value of my work would compensate them for...

Quotes by Andrew Vachss

I did criminal defense work part-time, and that paid the bills for representing abused and neglected children... and for defending in juvenile court those kids the 'child protective system' had missed when it had the chance.

Quotes by Andrew Vachss

How could you not let your life affect your work? That's all it is. Unless you have a very specific, isolated version of what you're doing.

Quotes by Andrew W.K.

I take responsibility for everything in my life, including who I work for and what happens to me because of it.

Quotes by Andrew W.K.

I have been accused of having people design my image, tell me what to say in interviews, design my clothes, the way I look and talk, and, of course, my music. It's true I do work with people, but not...

Quotes by Andrew W.K.

Even low-calorie diets and vigorous exercise fail to work in the long term for at least some people.

Quotes by Andrew Weil

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of quotes are on the "Work" page?
These lean toward the thoughtful side of work — the idea that "intellectual work is essentially a lonely process," the belief that one's politics and "the character of his particular work are inseparable," and an image of people unwinding after work all over the world talking about life's bigger questions.
Is there a spiritual angle to any of these?
While these particular quotes are secular, if you're looking for a spiritual perspective on work, see Prayers for that theme.
Do these quotes connect work to personal identity?
Yes, one of the strongest lines here argues that your politics and "the character of his particular work are inseparable" — the idea that what you do reflects who you are. If that resonates, Growth quotes explore a similar idea of work shaping the person.
Is there anything here about effort or persistence?
These specific quotes focus more on the nature and meaning of work than on effort itself, but Effort quotes cover that ground directly.
What about setting goals through work?
For that angle, Goal quotes is the better fit — the "Work" page here is more about the character and process of working itself.

There's also a lighter side - people unwinding after work to talk through life's bigger questions over drinks. See Effort Quotes and Goal Quotes for more on getting things done.