A life spent in constant labor is a life wasted, save a man be such a fool as to regard a fulsome obituary notice as ample reward.
—George Jean Nathan (1882–1958) American Drama Critic, Editor
The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case.
—George W. Bush (b.1946) American Head of State, Businessperson
Diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs.
—B. C. Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-born American Journalist, Publisher
Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.
—Unknown
There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.
—William Bennett (b.1943) American Politician, Political Theorist, Government Official
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.
—Fred Astaire (1899–1987) American Actor, Dancer, Singer
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
My job is about the most fun thing I do, but I have a broad set of interests, going places, reading things, doing things.
—Bill Gates (b.1955) American Businessperson, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Author
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
—Anonymous
To catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job.
—Simone de Beauvoir (1908–86) French Philosopher, Writer, Feminist
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume.
—Madeleine Albright (1937–97) Czech-born American Diplomat
It’s the job that’s never started takes longest to finish.
—J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973) British Scholar, Author
If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.
—Common Proverb
Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.
—J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) Scottish Novelist, Dramatist
The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
There is no future in any job. The future lies in the man who holds the job.
—George W. Crane (1901–95) American Psychologist, Physician
People who work sitting down get paid more than people who work standing up.
—Ogden Nash (1902–71) American Writer of Sophisticated Light Verse
Our jobs determine to a large extent what our lives are like. Is what you do for a living making you ill? Does it keep you from becoming a more fully realized person? Do you feel ashamed of what you have to do at work? All too often, the answer to such questions is yes. Yet it does not have to be like that. Work can be one of the most joyful, most fulfilling aspects of life. Whether it will be or not depends on the actions we collectively take.
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (b.1934) Hungarian-American Psychologist
It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.
—Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) American Head of State