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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 have no doubt that the government of this great nation will work with its people to lead New Orleans and the Gulf Coast back to an enlightened, proud, safe part of the world.

Quotes by Harry Connick, Jr.

I practice and work hard at my music, but I'm not saving lives here.

Quotes by Harry Connick, Jr.

What the artist owes the world is his work; not a model for living.

Quotes by Harry Crews

He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward.

Quotes by Harry Emerson Fosdick

The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.

Quotes by Harry Golden

There are many women with children under five who want to work and who lack affordable, high-quality child care.

Quotes by Harriet Harman

It's hard to bring up your children on benefit. It's easier if you can do part- time work, or even full-time work, and actually have a better standard of living, and that's the direction in which we are going.

Quotes by Harriet Harman

For my own part, I had rather suffer any inconvenience from having to work occasionally in chambers and kitchen... than witness the subservience in which the menial class is held in Europe.

Quotes by Harriet Martineau

I'm very aware that after you've played Cleopatra, there's not a lot that can top that in this sphere, so it means that I want to almost change the sphere I work in rather completely because I will always be...

Quotes by Harriet Walter

Work has been the central column for most of my life; it has always been my identity.

Quotes by Harriet Walter

I grew up military but have met very few women that have a mission plan for when things don't work out. I attack everything like that.

Quotes by Harris Faulkner

There are rhythmic ideas which sometimes only work up to a point. In writing there are moments when it just comes off the page, it's not just a collection of notes.

Quotes by Harrison Birtwistle

What makes a movement work are thousands of parts that come together and express itself in favor of a given destination or objective. You have to find men and women who are willing to play the role that each of...

Quotes by Harry Belafonte

One of the true pleasures of my life has been the work of John Steinbeck. He was one of the people who turned my life around. I had no direct relationship with him, unfortunately.

Quotes by Harry Belafonte

Think as you work, for in the final analysis, your worth to your company comes not only in solving problems, but also in anticipating them.

Quotes by Harold Ross

Management must manage!

Quotes by Harold S. Geneen

Managers in all too many American companies do not achieve the desired results because nobody makes them do it.

Quotes by Harold S. Geneen

It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises-but only performance is reality.

Quotes by Harold S. Geneen

You can know a person by the kind of desk he keeps. If the president of a company has a clean desk then it must be the executive vice president who is doing all the work.

Quotes by Harold S. Geneen

The worst disease which can afflict business executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it's egotism.

Quotes by Harold S. Geneen

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.