quotations about work
Each man delights in the work that suits him best.
HOMER
The Odyssey
The better shaped his product, the more misshapen the worker.
KARL MARX
"Alienated Labor", Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts
Some men are so eager for success that they are even willing to work for it.
EVAN ESAR
20,000 Quips & Quotes
We need economy that rewards work, not just wealth.
JOE BIDEN
speech on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020
I loved work and I loved pouring myself into the work, you know. It was the real life that I had trouble with.
ROSEANNE BARR
Larry King Live, March 2, 2006
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
speech to the New York State Agricultural Association, Syracuse, New York, September 7, 1903
This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize that it is play.
ALAN WATTS
The Essence of Alan Watts
I don't like work -- no man does -- but I like what is in work -- the chance to find yourself.
JOSEPH CONRAD
The Heart of Darkness
Measure not the work
Until the day's out and the labour done.
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
Aurora Leigh
You reach a point where you don't work for money.
WALT DISNEY
attributed, The Quotable Billionaire
Everyone should find something they love doing. Then work isn't work. It's a part of themselves. Of who they are.
PAUL MCAULEY
The Quiet War
No man is born into the world whose work
Is not born with him. There is always work,
And tools to work withal, for those who will;
And blessed are the horny hands of toil.
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
A Glance Behind the Curtain
Are you the type of person who gets taken in by flattery and ends up staying late to do work others could be doing? What would happen if you said no? These habits are tough to break in organisations, but if you don't gently steer these requests more fairly to others on your team, you will continue to be given more work just because you always say yes and your happiness at work will be undermined. It really is okay for everyone to say no sometimes, as this lets your organisation know that workloads are heavy and assistance may be required.
LOUISE LAMBERT
"You can't do it all: turning down work is sometimes a necessity", Albawaba Business, February 3, 2016
Many hands make light work.
JOHN HEYWOOD
Proverbs
Women who don't go OUT to work, of course, are dismissed as homemakers or housewives, with little thought spared for the huge quantum of work they do. Once a baby arrive they become known as stay-at-home mothers (SAHM), perceived to be cooler because "mothering" is a little more specific.
ANUPAMA KAPOOR
"A Woman's Work Is Never Done ... But It Should Be", Huffington Post, January 2, 2016
Having boundaries in life, especially at work, is important for protecting our happiness. Boundaries allow us to say no when we need to, but also mean we can say yes when the opportunity is right.
LOUISE LAMBERT
"You can't do it all: turning down work is sometimes a necessity", Albawaba Business, February 3, 2016
Are there many situations more sublimely tragic than the struggle of the soul with the demand to renounce a work which has been all the significance of its life--a significance which is to vanish as the waters which come and go where no man has need of them?
GEORGE ELIOT
Middlemarch
He must put his whole life into his work, who would do it well, and make it potential to influence other lives.
CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE
Intuitions and Summaries of Thought
If a man does not go about his work with enthusiasm, it means that he has not yet found a work that he likes. Every mortal is a busy bee when he comes to the task that Destiny has set aside for him.
GEORGE ADE
"The Fable of the Old Fox and the Young Fox", True Bills
Work today is not a place -- it's a set of tasks, timelines, and tools.
SAM WORTHINGTON
"Work is a state of mind: Building a productive virtual team", IT Brief, April 3, 2017