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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 was never an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. When I was younger, it was a real problem, because I was never pretty enough. It was hard, not just for the lack of work, but because you...

Quotes by Kathy Bates

After winning the Oscar, I was committed to do 'Fried Green Tomatoes,' but I didn't know what the next thing would be after that. It was a scary time. But the advantage of TV is the regular work. All you...

Quotes by Kathy Bates

Don't just work for the money; that will bring only limited satisfaction.

Quotes by Kathy Ireland

Martha Stewart is extremely talented. Her designs are picture perfect. Our philosophy is life is messy, and rather than being afraid of those messes we design products that work the way we live.

Quotes by Kathy Ireland

The only thing Martha and I have in common is that we both used to model. Martha Stewart is extremely talented. Her designs are picture perfect. Our philosophy is life is messy, and rather than being afraid of those messes...

Quotes by Kathy Ireland

Or if I have my head in the results, I can't work with what I have, because I'm trying to force something to happen. And with singing, any time you force it, you tighten up. If you tighten up, you're...

Quotes by Kathy Mattea

At first I probably seem very abrupt, but I like efficiency. There's work and there's play, and I always think: 'Let's get the work over with so we can thoroughly enjoy the play.'

Quotes by Kathy Reichs

What gives my books authenticity is that I actually do what it is I'm writing about. I think the fact that I am in the autopsy room, I go to the crime scene and I do work in the lab...

Quotes by Kathy Reichs

I work with the dead, but I am working for the living.

Quotes by Kathy Reichs

The people we send to Washington have to roll up their sleeves, stop the fighting, and work together on issues that are not political, not partisan, but personal to families across our state and our nation.

Quotes by Kathy Szeliga

Part of the American dream is 'I can own my own business, I can control my destiny. I can have the opportunity to work for myself.'

Quotes by Kathy Szeliga

You have to work across the aisle. Americans have had enough of the gridlock in Washington.

Quotes by Kathy Szeliga

The only genius that's worth anything is the genius for hard work.

Quotes by Kathleen Winsor

You never think the universe will reward your first choice - it just doesn't work like that.

Quotes by Kathryn Bigelow

My interest is to work in as uncompromised a way as possible.

Quotes by Kathryn Bigelow

I was on vacation with my family when I got the scripts for 'Wanderlust' and I was trying to work on the audition while I was on vacation. I remember a big gust of wind blew the entire script into...

Quotes by Kathryn Hahn

I don't want to ever say to somebody, 'You don't have to see it. It's not good.' I'm done with that. I'd love to just do things that I respect. That being said, I do have two children to put...

Quotes by Kathryn Hahn

I can't work out much about myself or what I see in the world around me unless I do it through writing.

Quotes by Kathryn Harrison

I don't care what people think about me. I care what people think about my work. As a young woman, I was so eager to please that I served others' happiness and even their values before my own.

Quotes by Kathryn Harrison

Most weeks, I work 100-plus hours on TheMuse.com. There are definitions of 'work-life balance' that would say I have none.

Quotes by Kathryn Minshew

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.