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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 started to send my work to journals when I was 26, which was just a question of when I got the courage up. They were mostly journals I had been reading for the previous six or seven years.

Quotes by Marilyn Hacker

I think there is something about coming to a city to work that puts you in touch with it in a different way.

Quotes by Marilyn Hacker

All my work is about how it feels to look.

Quotes by Marilyn Minter

When I see an artist whose work I like at a party - I'm old now, so I can do this - I go right over and tell them how much I like their work. Instantly, I'm on their side....

Quotes by Marilyn Minter

My work is about the world I live in. So, I sort of make a picture of my life or our lives. I'm always looking for something that is overlooked, so I need to constantly be aware of what's going...

Quotes by Marilyn Minter

My work is the only ground I've ever had to stand on. To put it bluntly, I seem to have a whole superstructure with no foundation, but I'm working on the foundation.

Marilyn Monroe

This initial experience has not lived up to our expectations... and it is not acceptable. While these problems will require a lot of hard work, the bottom-line conclusion is this HealthCare.gov site is fixable.

Quotes by Marilyn Tavenner

Teaching is a distraction and a burden, but it's also an incredible stimulus. And a reprieve, in a way. When you're trying to work on something and it's not going anywhere, you can go to school and there's a two-and-a-half-hour...

Quotes by Marilynne Robinson

My brother told me I was going to be a poet. I had a good brother. He did a lot of good brotherly work.

Quotes by Marilynne Robinson

Many readers know my work first through 'Housekeeping,' simply because it was my only novel for a pretty long time.

Quotes by Marilynne Robinson

I find that the hardest work in the world... is to persuade Easterners that growing up in the West is not intellectually crippling.

Quotes by Marilynne Robinson

I used to write on a big old couch, but I gave that away. I was wise enough to give it to my son, so if it turns out that the couch was essential to my work, at least the...

Quotes by Marilynne Robinson

First of all, Craig Lucas' work, any of it, for any actor, is such good material. It's so alive in such a poetic, yet human way. It's theatrical, but it lets you emotionally connect with the characters.

Quotes by Marin Hinkle

I found for me that my safe place was work. I could control my environment. I became very fastidious and detailed, and wanted things a certain way.

Quotes by Marie Osmond

You know, you don't work 30 something years in this business without knowing how to push yourself. So, I just kept pushing myself and pushing myself. The other thing that happens is when your hormones get out of whack your...

Quotes by Marie Osmond

But painting can be too lonely... I like being with people too much to have ever made that my life's work.

Quotes by Marie Windsor

So, I certainly subscribe to what Bette said about acting being very hard work.

Quotes by Marie Windsor

I love to dress up. You have to have a sense of fun in life, too. We can all be serious and work and do our bit, but every now and again you have to have a good giggle.

Quotes by Marie-Chantal Claire

I love physical books, can't bear to throw them away, and am drowning under the weight of my collection, but I do a lot of my work reading now on my iPad.

Quotes by Mariella Frostrup

I do work hard, but I have a passion for work. That's just who I am.

Quotes by Marillyn Hewson

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.