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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 got to work with Gene Hackman for six weeks, side by side, 12 hours a day.

Quotes by Marguerite Moreau

Don't ever, ever, believe anyone who tells you that you can just get by, by doing the easiest thing possible. Because there's always somebody behind you who really wants to do what you're doing. And they're going to work harder...

Quotes by Maria Bartiromo

I think that my biggest attribute to any success that I have had is hard work. There really is no substitute for working hard.

Quotes by Maria Bartiromo

So many actors wear wigs nowadays. Besides, if someone is hiring me because of how I wear my hair, I don't want to work with them anyway.

Quotes by Maria Bello

When I do Pilates, or when I do work out, I feel better all day. Yet I still struggle to keep it on my schedule.

Quotes by Maria Bello

I don't need the money, dear. I work for art.

Quotes by Maria Callas

We need to continue investing in the programs that put Americans back to work in communities like Clark County.

Quotes by Maria Cantwell

I do occasionally get into that 'checking Twitter every five minutes' state - 'Please, help me avoid my work.' I have a writing room for when I get completely out of control, so I can put myself out of the...

Quotes by Margo Lanagan

If you need things, you work harder to get them.

Quotes by Margo Martindale

The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.

Quotes by Margot Fonteyn

Take your work seriously, but never yourself.

Quotes by Margot Fonteyn

That's what 'Star Trek' was: We don't know how to make an ideal society, but we're going to portray that, and then we're going to work backward. I think that's why science fiction - despite the dystopian parts - comes...

Quotes by Margot Lee Shetterly

Every time you go to an airport and get on a plane, you are basically taking advantage of the work that was done at Langley. Between World War I and World War II, they did just tremendous amount of fundamental...

Quotes by Margot Lee Shetterly

A lot of times, we talk about black people as if being black is all they are. They get up, go to work... and are as complex and interesting and variable as any other group of people. We don't often...

Quotes by Margot Lee Shetterly

Everyone's like, 'overnight sensation.' It's not overnight. It's years of hard work.

Quotes by Margot Robbie

All of the people who work in the Russian government and Russian presidential administration, in this way or another, work for Vladimir Putin.

Quotes by Margarita Simonyan

When the world normalizes, everything is going to be fine with RT. When the U.S. and Russia get along again - and I don't see any deep reasons why we shouldn't get along... we are going to work normally like...

Quotes by Margarita Simonyan

It's time to wake up to the reality that ignoring the genuine concerns of the 'fringe,' until it becomes the majority, is patently ridiculous. That the scapegoating of alternative opinions doesn't work.

Quotes by Margarita Simonyan

The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real.

Quotes by Marge Piercy

When I work I am pure as an angel tiger and clear is my eye and hot my brain and silent all the whining grunting piglets of the appetites.

Quotes by Marge Piercy

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.