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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 began to write in an enclosed, self-confident literary culture. The poet's life stood in a burnished light in the Ireland of that time. Poets were still poor, had little sponsored work, and could not depend on a sympathetic reaction...

Quotes by Eavan Boland

If a poet does not tell the truth about time, his or her work will not survive it. Past or present, there is a human dimension to time, human voices within it, and human griefs ordained by it.

Quotes by Eavan Boland

I don't watch much British television at all. I mean, it's ironic because I used to work in it for years.

Quotes by E. L. James

I've worked in television all my life, but really I've always wanted to work in the movies.

Quotes by E. L. James

I was a senior in high school when I decided I wanted to work on ants as a career. I just fell in love with them, and have never regretted it.

Quotes by E. O. Wilson

In my heart, I'm an Alabaman who went up north to work.

Quotes by E. O. Wilson

The work on ants has profoundly affected the way I think about humans.

Quotes by E. O. Wilson

Continuing a Lenten series on prayer: Prayer is co-operation with God. It is the purest exercise of the faculties God has given us - an exercise that links these faculties with the Maker to work out the intentions He had...

Quotes by E. Stanley Jones

Living up to ideals is like doing everyday work with your Sunday clothes on.

Quotes by E. W. Howe

The greatest humiliation in life, is to work hard on something from which you expect great appreciation, and then fail to get it.

Quotes by E. W. Howe

I have done a lot of work internally to find out who I am, what voice Eamonn Walker has and how he wants to put it out there.

Quotes by Eamonn Walker

I do my work and do the best I can. I'm quite happy with my anonymity. All I can ever hope for is that I continue to do great work that will be remembered, and I leave my imprint so...

Quotes by Eamonn Walker

I never thought I want to do anything, really, except not go to work properly and turn up at the same place every day and eat sandwiches in the same canteen, if I can possibly help it, as I don't...

Quotes by Dylan Moran

I don't watch a whole lot of stand up. Mainly I prefer to read writers; they make me laugh the most. Something gets you when you're alone and someone's voice is coming through their work. There's a different quality to...

Quotes by Dylan Moran

America's work ethic is non-stop; it's not even enshrined in law that workers have to get their two weeks holiday money. But Americans work harder than everyone else I can think of.

Quotes by Dylan Moran

I'm just a guy who happens to work in public from time to time. I've built a reputation as an established comic, not as a celebrity - a celebrity is someone who is famous but doesn't do anything.

Quotes by Dylan Moran

I do think it's perfectly natural and human to want to invest belief in something. It's just a facet of who we are. What do I believe in? I believe in the obvious things. The people I'm close to and...

Quotes by Dylan Moran

Great companies have been reduced by hiring executives that don't work out.

Quotes by Dylan Smith

There are really four 'headlines' for me: honesty, integrity, hard work, and what I call a 'can-do' attitude. You could call that 'can-do' attitude optimism, but it is not Pollyannaish optimism. Rather, it is a 'we'll figure it out' type...

Quotes by Dylan Taylor

He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest.

Quotes by Dylan Thomas

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.