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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.

Yes, I love my homes, I love to travel, I love my family, and I love doting on my new grandchildren. But you can only do so much of that. I don't go to lunch with friends. I don't join...

Quotes by Sandra Brown

All too often, when creative people pick out someone else's creative work as an inspiration, what they end up with is very, very far from the original.

Quotes by Samuel R. Delany

The plays and sports of children are as salutary to them as labor and work are to grown persons.

Quotes by Samuel Richardson

Enterprise is hard work. You have to integrate the client with the optimized systems of all the servers and software.

Quotes by Samuel J. Palmisano

I never wanted to do Shakespeare; I never liked watching it, it's always frightened me, and I've never been any good at it. But I really wanted to work with the director Tim Carroll and Mark Rylance.

Quotes by Samuel Barnett

I hope it's always going to be a mix between theatre, film and radio. I've been very lucky living in London that you can do all that - in New York and L.A., there's more of a structure for film...

Quotes by Samuel Barnett

God was satisfied with his own work, and that is fatal.

Quotes by Samuel Butler

Every man's work, whether it be literature, or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.

Quotes by Samuel Butler

Work with some men is as besetting a sin as idleness.

Quotes by Samuel Butler

Think of and look at your work as though it were done by your enemy. If you look at it to admire it, you are lost.

Quotes by Samuel Butler

I like to make things. When you make something, you work it and you work it until it's done, and then you say 'Look, here's what I made.'

Quotes by Samuel Ervin Beam

You have high school photos and stuff, but to have a recording of your voice and your work from 20 years ago, it's a kick in the head to hear how you've changed and what you were interested in at...

Quotes by Samuel Ervin Beam

I don't care where you go or what company you work for - and I've pretty much worked for them all - WWE by far is the most brutal road schedule in the world. It takes a special kind of...

Quotes by Samoa Joe

Smartness, a good appearance, courtesy, delicacy are not yet norms, are not yet an integral part of the approach of workers in the state apparatus, of their approach either to work or to dealing with the public.

Quotes by Samora Machel

I've been very fortunate in the work I've been getting.

Quotes by Samara Weaving

I'd love to work in England or America. But as long as I'm doing what I love, then I'm happy.

Quotes by Samara Weaving

Working with someone who's really passionate about it is great, because you become passionate, and then it's fun; it's not work anymore.

Quotes by Samara Weaving

That's the spirit of America, right? Anybody from any background can make it anywhere with enough hard work.

Quotes by Sami Zayn

If you work really hard at something for a really, really long time, you do it well. Eventually, somebody will notice.

Quotes by Sami Zayn

Does anybody like being recognized? I understand that it's my job. I'm grateful about people who are moved enough by the work to want to say something. But I mourn the loss of anonymity.

Quotes by Samin Nosrat

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.