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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.

I prefer stage work, as an actor.

Quotes by Robert Sean Leonard

Sure, theater is tough because you're not home at night a lot and you work on weekends - every job has its downside. But to do something that you love doing for two hours a night, that's a pretty sweet...

Quotes by Robert Sean Leonard

I think people respect my work, but I was never in one of those movies that made me a star.

Quotes by Robert Sean Leonard

I'm not too fond of the hard work and the constant battle with self-doubt that goes on when I write, but I figure that's part of the territory.

Quotes by Robert Sheckley

There is a great deal of cyberpunk that I admire, especially the work of William Gibson which I think is excellent. Somehow he speaks from his own heart and cyber punk is what comes out.

Quotes by Robert Sheckley

I've been largely undecided about everything for most of my life. I can barely commit to a phone bill... Somewhere along the line it has become my career due to continuing work.

Quotes by Robert Sheehan

Part of progressing in acting is turning down work, and that's hard; it's very, very hard to do. And I think you have to do that so as not to undermine your own sense of value.

Quotes by Robert Sheehan

When you work in a creative environment, people get protective about their ideas. Sometimes it's justified; sometimes it's about ego.

Quotes by Robert Sheehan

Every time I've moved, my work has changed radically.

Quotes by Robert Rauschenberg

I usually work in a direction until I know how to do it, then I stop. At the time that I am bored or understand - I use those words interchangeably - another appetite has formed. A lot of people...

Quotes by Robert Rauschenberg

A leader is someone who steps back from the entire system and tries to build a more collaborative, more innovative system that will work over the long term.

Quotes by Robert Reich

Your most precious possession is not your financial assets. Your most precious possession is the people you have working there, and what they carry around in their heads, and their ability to work together.

Quotes by Robert Reich

The only way back toward a democracy and economy that work for the majority is for most of us to get politically active once again, becoming organized and mobilized.

Quotes by Robert Reich

What someone is paid has little or no relationship to what their work is worth to society.

Quotes by Robert Reich

In reality, most of America's poor work hard, often in two or more jobs.

Quotes by Robert Reich

As income from work has become more concentrated in America, the super rich have invested in businesses, real estate, art, and other assets. The income from these assets is now concentrating even faster than income from work.

Quotes by Robert Reich

Obviously, personal responsibility is important. But there's no evidence that people who are poor are less ambitious than anyone else. In fact, many work long hours at backbreaking jobs.

Quotes by Robert Reich

I was from such a large family that when I first met my wife, I told her: 'You can go work outside of the house and I'll stay home and continue making my cartoon strips. Maybe I'll make some commercials...

Quotes by Robert Rodriguez

People don't live in Austin to work, they work to live there.

Quotes by Robert Rodriguez

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream world, because it doesn't always seem too logical how things work out.

Quotes by Robert Rodriguez

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.