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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.

My father was a research doctor at the National Institutes of Health in the early 1980s, and you couldn't work in the field and not know about D. Carleton Gajdusek, who my father often mentioned.

Quotes by Hanya Yanagihara

I think that all research scientists think of themselves as belonging to a grand tradition, building on work that has been worked on since the very beginning of science itself. Whereas I'm not sure writers think of themselves in the...

Quotes by Hanya Yanagihara

I think anything goes in fiction as long as it fits within the interior logic of the work itself and is presented in a disciplined manner.

Quotes by Hanya Yanagihara

I stand on my public record as a defender of the human rights of Muslims, notably my work for Moazzam Begg and other British Muslims detained without trial in Guantanamo Bay.

Quotes by Hari Kunzru

Intellectuals who live in Hungary, or who wish to work or lecture there, are extremely circumspect in their criticism.

Quotes by Hari Kunzru

To come to the theatre, people have to make arrangements, change their clothes, find a babysitter, find a parking space - and they don't come after hard work to hear a lecture.

Quotes by Haris Pasovic

I work in theater, so I am always working in front of empty chairs. They represent a future presence. They are never just chairs.

Quotes by Haris Pasovic

'Caught' is a novel of forgiveness, and the past and the present - who should be and who shouldn't be forgiven. None of my books are ever just about thrills, or it won't work.

Quotes by Harlan Coben

I would jump at the chance to work with the inordinately-talented J.J. Abrams on a new 'Star Trek' film.

Quotes by Harlan Ellison

Work is both my living and my pleasure.

Quotes by Harlan Howard

There was an exhibition in Munich in 1937, 'Degenerate Art,' which included work by Klee, Kandinsky, Beckmann and many others. The work was called 'sick' and put in the trash heap. The sentiments expressed toward contemporary art by Jesse Helms,...

Quotes by Hans Haacke

Museums are not normally presenting the works on the walls as provocations to work. It's more like going to a Jacuzzi.

Quotes by Hans Haacke

A work of art is a world in itself reflecting senses and emotions of the artist's world.

Quotes by Hans Hofmann

It makes no difference whether a work is naturalistic or abstract; every visual expression follows the same fundamental laws.

Quotes by Hans Hofmann

I am not an optimist. I'm a very serious possibilist. It's a new category where we take emotion apart and we just work analytically with the world.

Quotes by Hans Rosling

The shining star in the world is Shanghai. That's what CEOs from big companies say - 'if I want mathematical analytical work done, it's done in China.'

Quotes by Hans Rosling

I manage my business; politicians are doing their business. I can only work within their rules and regulations. I can't pick up a political fight.

Quotes by Hans Vestberg

If I am in Sweden, I try to get home to be with my children. I can do work after that from home.

Quotes by Hans Vestberg

It is one of the primary motives of modern art that it wants to abolish the distance which the viewer, the consumer, the audience maintain vis-a-vis a work of art.

Quotes by Hans-Georg Gadamer

Turns out you have a really fun time if you go to work every day and focus on being silly and funny and happy!

Quotes by Hannah Murray

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.