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.

I just want my films to work. The hit or flop verdict really affects me. I seriously analyse what went wrong if a film turns out to be a dud!

Quotes by Samantha Akkineni

I think of myself as a journeyman actor. I've got some talent and I work hard, but people like Brando or Pacino - those people are touched by God.

Quotes by Sam Rockwell

I'm a writer. The more I act, the more resistance I have to it. If you accept work in a movie, you accept to be entrapped for a certain part of time, but you know you're getting out. I'm also...

Quotes by Sam Shepard

You sometimes use the excuse, 'I'm a writer, dammit, I can do anything I want,' but that doesn't work.

Quotes by Sam Shepard

Work made me crazy. I was tough to get along with.

Quotes by Sam Simon

I want medical experiments on animals stopped. They don't do anything, and they don't work.

Quotes by Sam Simon

I often joke that I straddle psychosis and neurosis, and that being an artist keeps me in the middle, so I can work between the two.

Quotes by Sam Taylor-Johnson

I used to work as a proofreader at Merrill Lynch.

Quotes by Sam Trammell

I want to try and work in different genres with different types of actors, on small movies and big movies.

Quotes by Sam Mendes

You've got to work. You've got to want an audience to sit forward in their chairs sometimes, rather than sit back and be bombarded with images.

Quotes by Sam Mendes

There's one thing better than having a great actor, and that's having a great actor who's never done this kind of role before and is hungry to do it. They're testing themselves every day. They want to get out of...

Quotes by Sam Mendes

Kevin and Annette... I wanted them to do it together. They clearly wanted to work with each other.

Quotes by Sam Mendes

I like to be in control of my own athleticism. If I win, I don't want it to be because of my lucky underwear, you know? I want it to be because I put forth the work.

Quotes by Sam Mikulak

Try and fit in in a New Zealand playground with an Armagh accent - it doesn't work.

Quotes by Sam Neill

If it looks like fun, and it looks like quality, then I'll do it. I don't feel compelled to work - or not to work.

Quotes by Sam Neill

I don't like shows, I don't like to put on a show, I just really want to work intimately with my actors.

Quotes by Sam Raimi

My parents are relieved as much as anything that I'm getting some work.

Quotes by Sam Riley

Part of what makes your performances more convincing is that your own image isn't getting in the way. And the more you can keep it like that, the better for your work and your state of mind.

Quotes by Sam Riley

I think trust is the most important thing. If the actors and the director and the crew trust each other and you set up perimeters and boundaries, you give everyone space to do great work.

Quotes by Sam Heughan

I was in love with the British 'The Office', so even though I love Steve Carell, when they were going to remake it, I was like, 'This is not going to work. I'm going to completely veto this show. I...

Quotes by Sam Huntington

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.