Logo - Feel The Words

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.

When I define polarities in my work, I actually create the space between things. I point to the question I am actually interested in, without naming it.

Quotes by Alva Noto

We should concentrate our work not only to a separated housing problem but housing involved in our daily work and all the other functions of the city.

Quotes by Alvar Aalto

We should work for simple, good, undecorated things, but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street.

Quotes by Alvar Aalto

Just as it takes time for a speck of fish spawn to develop into a fully grown fish, so, too, we need time for everything that develops and crystallizes in the world of ideas. Architecture demands more of this time...

Quotes by Alvar Aalto

I work with history because I come from a country that has a tremendous thirst for reality.

Quotes by Alvaro Enrigue

I pray that all polar opposites learn to agape love, live, and work together as brothers and sisters - or perish as fools.

Quotes by Alveda King

We must continually work to obtain and preserve the right to vote and future votes of babies in the womb, their parents, the sick, the elderly, the poor, all Americans.

Quotes by Alveda King

We still spend more time chasing funds than we do in the studio in creative work.

Quotes by Alvin Ailey

I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important. What is important is the quality of our work.

Quotes by Alvin Ailey

Its roots are in American Negro culture, which is part of the whole country's heritage, but the dance speaks to everyone... Otherwise, it wouldn't work.

Quotes by Alvin Ailey

My Ph.D. is in operations research. I was interested in making things work better and using mathematics to help do that. So operations research is what I studied as an undergraduate and graduate student.

Quotes by Alvin E. Roth

I've always been interested in using mathematics to make the world work better.

Quotes by Alvin E. Roth

When you're doing kidney transplants, you have to find out who can exchange kidneys with whom, doing blood tests to make sure it's true. You can't just work on the preliminary data. Then you have to organize the logistics.

Quotes by Alvin E. Roth

My opportunity to design school choice systems began in 2003 with a phone call from Jeremy Lack at the New York City Department of Education. He knew of my work on the medical match and wondered if similar efforts might...

Quotes by Alvin E. Roth

They have decided to tour under the name of Ten Years After which I don't think is very cool. To be honest, they have had to do that as it's the only way they can get any work.

Quotes by Alvin Lee

I think I'll continue to work as a solo artist.

Quotes by Alvin Lee

George Harrison was also a pleasure to work with. He was one of the most famous people I've ever known, but in spite of that fame, he was such a nice and friendly guy.

Quotes by Alvin Lee

I work virtually every waking hour.

Quotes by Alvin Toffler

I know for a fact that if I could do only music, I'd be out of my mind, insane. I'd be stressed-out; there's so much work. I mean, you work constantly; there are no breaks, really. If you're not promoting...

Quotes by Aly Michalka

I feel I haven't been used to the fullest of my potential. There are so many genres to explore and diverse subjects to work on.

Quotes by Allu Arjun

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.