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.

Much of my work in biology has been driven by my early training in chemistry. When studying a new chemical compound, the first and most important thing is to determine its detailed molecular structure.

Quotes by Richard J. Roberts

A man, to read, must read alone. He may make extracts, he may work at books in company; but to read, to absorb, he must be solitary.

Quotes by Richard Jefferies

The cottages erected by farmers or by landlords are now, one and all, fit and proper habitations for human beings; and I verifly believe it would be impossible throughout the length and breadth of Wiltshire to find a single bad...

Quotes by Richard Jefferies

I'm insanely optimistic. For odd, weird reasons, things always work out.

Quotes by Richard Jefferson

I like relaxed sets. I like to feel that I can make a mistake without feeling like I'm costing somebody money. I like a sense of freedom. I like it when people are open and are willing to let you...

Quotes by Richard Jenkins

When there is tension, arguments and money problems, it's tough to do your work. Some people thrive on that. I don't.

Quotes by Richard Jenkins

I don't consider myself a comedian, but you work with some comedians, and sometimes these guys are incredible on their feet - it's just amazing - and that's not what I do. But it's always fun, and I don't really...

Quotes by Richard Jenkins

There's a lot of great directors that I want to work with, but as soon as I mention them, I never get a chance to work with them.

Quotes by Richard Jenkins

All the fascination of King Solomon's Mines seems to be behind those great mountains and this I may add is a bit of advance work for mother, an entering wedge to my disappearing from sight for years and years in...

Quotes by Richard Harding Davis

The suburb in the 1950s was a bedroom community. The father worked in the city, and the mother stayed home. Now people live and work in the suburbs, and businesses have grown up or moved from cities to certain pockets...

Quotes by Richard Hayne

I have one president at a time. I only work for you.

Quotes by Richard Helms

If the work is going well and it's something that has value with some meaning to it, it gives back a lot.

Quotes by Richard Gere

When you work as an actor, you've got to feel safe even in what appears to be the simplest things.

Quotes by Richard Gere

I've had a year out of work, more, and just toughed it out. There are those who think that all actors are overpaid. I beg to differ.

Quotes by Richard Griffiths

It took about six years to get the Black Lung stuff. It didn't come just instantly. Sometimes, I see lobby groups, today, upset because they work the whole session and nothing happens.

Quotes by Richard Grimes

If you don't work on important problems, it's not likely that you'll do important work.

Quotes by Richard Hamming

If you have the door to your office closed, you get more work done today and tomorrow, and you are more productive than most. But ten years later somehow, you don't quite know what problems are worth working on.

Quotes by Richard Hamming

Good scientists will fight the system rather than learn to work with the system.

Quotes by Richard Hamming

I value my reputation. I work hard to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Quotes by Richard Hanna

I don't think you want to hurt businesses that are making $250,000 or $500,000. Those are the real people who created the opportunity to put people to work.

Quotes by Richard Hanna

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.