Use these inspirational quotes for work to motivate you and help find clarity in how to be the best you. Use insights from some of the greatest minds on how to be productive, what work actually means and how to succeed and reach your goals.
“Once you start a working on something, don’t be afraid of failure and don’t abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.” – Chanakya
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” – Calvin Coolidge
“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.” – Louis Pasteur
“The greatest teacher I know is the job itself.” – James Cash Penney
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.” – Samuel Goldwyn
“He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest.” – Dylan Thomas
“Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there.” – Haile Gebrselassie
“Sometimes it takes a lowly, title-less man to humble the world. Kings, rulers, CEOs, judges, doctors, pastors, they are already expected to be greater and wiser.” – Criss Jami
“Give yourself something to work toward – constantly.” – Mary Kay Ash
“Luck? I don’t know anything about luck. I’ve never banked on it and I’m afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work – and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.” – Lucille Ball
“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“I hope the millions of people I’ve touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude.” – Michael Jordan
“Nothing in life comes easy.” – Unknown
“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” – Peter Drucker
“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” – Richard Bach
“Greatness is sifted through the grind, therefore don’t despise the hard work now for surely it will be worth it in the end.” – Sanjo Jendayi
“The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.” – Elbert Hubbard
“If your dream is a big dream, and if you want your life to work on the high level that you say you do, there’s no way around doing the work it takes to get you there.” – Joyce Chapman
“My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.” – Indira Gandhi
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” – Colin Powell
“All things are difficult before they are easy.” – Thomas Fuller
“Happiness is the real sense of fulfillment that comes from hard work.” – Joseph Barbara
“I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.” – Ray Bradbury
“Talent is what God gives us, Skill is what we give back to Him.” – Eliel Pierre
“Greatness is sifted through the grind, therefore don’t despise the hard work now for surely it will be worth it in the end.” – Sanjo Jendayi
“No one ever drowned in sweat.” – USMC Officer
“For me, every day is a new thing. I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did. And I get the sweats. I go in and start working, I’m not sure where I’m going. If I knew where I was going I wouldn’t do it.” – Frank Gehry
“If you don’t burn out at the end of each day, you’re a bum.” – George Lois
“Nobody’s a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better. It’s hard to stay on top.” – Paul Coffey
“Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” – Helena Rubinstein
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Saint Francis
“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” – Booker T. Washington
“Everything yields to diligence.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato
“People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” – Vince Lombardi
“My experience has been that work is almost the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The highest reward for man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.” – John Ruskin
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” – Calvin Coolidge
“We work to become, not to acquire.” – Elbert Hubbard
“If you try and lose then it isn’t your fault. But if you don’t try and we lose, then it’s all your fault.” – Orson Scott Card
“Only cooked time tastes well.” – Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed
“Every noble work is at first impossible.” – Thomas Carlyle
“Too many irons, not enough fire.” – S. Kelley Harrell
“Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy.” – Robert Hall
“When I meet successful people I ask about 100 questions to find out who they attribute their success to. It is usually the same: persistence, hard work and hiring good people.” – Kiana Tom
“No great achiever – even those who made it seem easy – ever succeeded without hard work.” – Jonathan Sacks
“It’s easier to change what you do than people think it is. If you don’t change, your field changes around you.” – Walter Gilbert
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi
“The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” – Jonas Salk
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson
“Labor gives birth to ideas.” – Jim Rohn
“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Unknown
“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” – Rumi
“To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.” – Bette Davis
“I have learned that real angels don’t have gossamer white robes and Cherubic skin, they have calloused hands and smell of the days’ sweat.” – Richard Evans
“I do not care about happiness simply because I believe that joy is something worth fighting for.” – Criss Jami
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison
“Inspiration is the windfall from hard work and focus. Muses are too unreliable to keep on the payroll.” – Helen Hanson
“Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.” – Stephen Hawking
“Work alone is noble.” – Thomas Carlyle
“You were hired because you met expectations, you will be promoted if you can exceed them.” – Saji Ijiyemi
“Do the things you like to be happier, stronger & more successful. Only so is hard work replaced by dedication.” – Rossana Condoleo
“Embrace the pain to inherit the gain.” – Habeeb Akande
“Change is hard work.” – Billy Crystal
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
“Goodness and hard work are rewarded with respect.” – Luther Campbell
“There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.” – Henry Ford
“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.” – Pearl S. Buck
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
“Hard work helps. It has never killed anyone.” – Unknown
“Work hard and be patient. The rest will follow.” – Unknown
“Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.” – Horace
“You learn the value of hard work by working hard.” – Unknown
“Don’t give up. The beginning is always the hardest. Life rewards those who work hard at it.” – Unknown
“Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.” – Anne Frank
“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.” – Harry Golden
“Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou
“Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn
“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” – Benjamin Franklin
“If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working on it.” – Michael Jordan
“Patience can be bitter but her fruit is always sweet.” – Habeeb Akande
“Talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.” – Patrick Suskind
“If I told you I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, I’d be lying, because I have no idea where I am right now.” – Jarod Kintz
“A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.” – Mildred Struven
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I don’t have a blue-collar job. It’s more of a green collar, because of all the yellow sweat stains mixing in.” – Jarod Kintz
“There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas A. Edison
More Inspirational Quotes for Work:
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166 Deeply Moving Inspirational Quotes About Life
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert in productivity and motivation, I can provide you with valuable insights from some of the greatest minds on how to be productive, what work truly means, and how to succeed in reaching your goals.
Chanakya, an ancient Indian philosopher, once said, "Once you start working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest." This quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance and dedication in achieving happiness through sincere work.
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, believed that "All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work." This quote highlights the idea that growth and development can only be accomplished through consistent and deliberate effort.
Louis Pasteur, a renowned French chemist and microbiologist, attributed his success to his tenacity, stating, "Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity." This quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance and determination in achieving one's goals.
James Cash Penney, the founder of J.C. Penney, believed that the job itself is the greatest teacher, stating, "The greatest teacher I know is the job itself." This quote emphasizes the value of hands-on experience and the lessons that can be learned through hard work.
Samuel Goldwyn, an American film producer, believed in the correlation between hard work and luck, stating, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." This quote suggests that success is often a result of hard work and dedication, rather than mere chance.
Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet, believed that seeking work brings rest, stating, "He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest." This quote highlights the idea that work can bring fulfillment and a sense of purpose, providing a form of rest from the monotony of idleness.
Haile Gebrselassie, an Ethiopian long-distance runner, emphasized the importance of commitment and discipline in achieving success, stating, "Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there." This quote underscores the idea that commitment alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by hard work and discipline.
Criss Jami, an American author, believed that sometimes it takes an ordinary individual to humble the world, stating, "Sometimes it takes a lowly, title-less man to humble the world. Kings, rulers, CEOs, judges, doctors, pastors, they are already expected to be greater and wiser." This quote encourages individuals to embrace their potential for greatness, regardless of their societal status or perceived limitations.
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, believed in the importance of constantly striving towards a goal, stating, "Give yourself something to work toward – constantly." This quote emphasizes the idea that setting and pursuing goals can provide a sense of purpose and motivation in one's work.
Lucille Ball, a legendary American actress, believed that hard work and recognizing opportunities are the keys to luck, stating, "Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work – and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't." This quote suggests that luck is not a matter of chance, but rather the result of hard work and the ability to seize opportunities.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, believed that the best prize in life is the chance to work hard at something meaningful, stating, "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." This quote emphasizes the importance of finding meaningful work and investing effort into it.
Michael Jordan, a legendary basketball player, hoped that his hard work and perseverance would inspire others to share their goals and work towards them with a positive attitude, stating, "I hope the millions of people I've touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude." This quote highlights the power of hard work and a positive mindset in achieving success.
These quotes from various individuals illustrate the importance of hard work, perseverance, commitment, and discipline in achieving success and finding fulfillment in one's work. By embracing these principles, you can motivate yourself to be the best version of yourself and reach your goals.
