When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony and work toward a definite objective or purpose, they place themselves in a position, through the alliance, to absorb the power directly from the great storehouse of Infinite Intelligence.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
A woman’s work is never done, especially the part she asks her husband to do.
—Unknown
Occupation is the scythe of time.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
In our nation there are two classes of nobility: the law-abiding workers and the law-abiding employers who sustain each other.
—Cullen Hightower (b.1923) American Humorist
Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it. The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who also knows why will always be his boss. As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.
—H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (b.1940) American Self-Help Author
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
—Henry Ford (1863–1947) American Businessperson, Engineer
When I think of work, it’s mostly about having control over your destiny, as opposed to being at the mercy of what’s out there.
—Gary Sinise (b.1955) American Actor, Director, Musician
Learn to ask, “If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?”
—Tim Ferriss (b.1977) American Self-help Author
There’s no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.
—Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) American Self-Help Author
No task, rightly done, is truly private. It is part of the world’s work.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) American Head of State
No man can make good during working hours who does the wrong thing outside of working hours.
—William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962) American Presbyterian Minister
Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919) American Poet, Journalist
When we’re unemployed, we’re called lazy; when the whites are unemployed it’s called a depression.
—Jesse Jackson (b.1941) American Baptist Civil Rights Activist, Minister
In my day, there were things that were done, and things that were not done, and there was even a way of doing things that were not done.
—Peter Ustinov (1921–2004) British Actor, Playwright, Director
Every noble work is at first impossible.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class.
—Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906–2001) American Aviator, Author
Though a little one, the master-word (work) looms large in meaning. It is the open sesame to every mortal, the great equalizer in the world, the true philosopher’s stone which transmutes all the base metal of humanity into goal.
—William Osler (1849–1919) Canadian Physician
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor to find much fun in life.
—Charles M. Schwab (1862–1939) American Businessperson
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
In these striking times there’s an understandable tendency on the part of those struck to deplore with vehemence the ready availability of unemployment insurance for workers not working. In fact, only a fraction of those collecting unemployment compensation are strikers. And only a small percentage of those collecting unemployment compensation are unwilling to work. In these times of wide and widening unemployment-reaching near to 5 million at the moment-it shouldn’t take much thought to make one glad unemployment insurance is as substantial and of as long duration as it is.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
He has achieved success who has worked well, laughed often, and loved much.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Any supervisor worth his salt would rather deal with people who attempt too much than with those who try too little.
—Lee Iacocca (1924–2019) American Businessperson
Personally, I now aim for one month of overseas relocation or high-intensity learning (tango, fighting, whatever) for every two months of work projects.
—Tim Ferriss (b.1977) American Self-help Author
Work spares us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
All our work, our whole life is a matter of semantics, because words are the tools with which we work, the material out of which laws are made, out of which the Constitution was written. Everything depends on our understanding of them.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals.
—Tim Ferriss (b.1977) American Self-help Author
Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.
—Henri Matisse (1869–1954) French Painter, Sculptor, Lithographer
I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic