Work
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Thoughts
“In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self Reliance” US essayist & poet (1803 – 1882)
Elbert Hubbard on Work & Technology
“One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” Elbert Hubbard
Oscar Wilde on Income
“It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.” Oscar Wilde, The Model Millionaire, 1887 Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 – 1900)
Bruce Grocott on Work
“I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves.” Bruce Grocott British politician (1940 – )
James Thorpe on Work
“Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else.” James Thorpe US football player & track athlete (1888 – 1953)
Peter Drucker on Work
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Peter Drucker American (Austrian-born) management writer (1909 – 2005)
Peter Drucker on Management
“So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.” Peter Drucker American (Austrian-born) management writer (1909 – 2005)
Joseph Conrad on Work
“I don’t like work… but I like what is in work—the chance to find yourself.” Joseph Conrad
Elbert Hubbard on Vacations
“No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.” Elbert Hubbard US author (1856 – 1915)
Maya Angelou on Work
“Nothing will work unless you do.” Maya Angelou
Anatole France on Work
“Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another.” Anatole France, The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard French novelist (1844 – 1924)
Mark Twain on Procrastination
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Robert Louis Stevenson on Life
“Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things.” Robert Louis Stevenson Scottish author (1850 – 1894)
Harry S. Truman on Economy
“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours.” Harry S. Truman, in Observer, April 13, 1958 33rd president of US (1884 – 1972)
Jerome K. Jerome on Laziness
“It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.” Jerome K. Jerome British humor writer (1859 – 1927)
Bob Hope on Sports
“If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play at it, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf.” Bob Hope US (English-born) actor & comedian (1903 – 2003)
A. H. Weiler on Power
“Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself.” A. H. Weiler (1909 – 2002)
Thomas A. Edison on Opportunity
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas A. Edison US inventor (1847 – 1931)
Don Marquis on Work
“When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: ‘Whose?'” Don Marquis US humorist (1878 – 1937)
Jay Leno Cynical Quote
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish and he will eat steak.” Jay Leno US comedian & television host (1950 – )
John C. Dvorak on Computers and Business
“In all large corporations, there is a pervasive fear that someone, somewhere is having fun with a computer on company time. Networks help alleviate that fear.” John C. Dvorak
Thomas A. Edison on Work
“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” Thomas A. Edison
Charles Peters on Politics
“Bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy.” Charles Peters
Jerome K. Jerome on Work
“I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” Jerome K. Jerome, “Three Men in a Boat”, 1889 British humor writer (1859 – 1927)
Zig Ziglar on Work
“A lot of people quit looking for work as soon as they find a job.” Zig Ziglar
Victor Hugo on Thought
“A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor.” Victor Hugo French dramatist, novelist, & poet (1802 – 1885)
Robert Copeland on Committees
“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.” Robert Copeland
Floyd Dell on Idleness
“Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything.” Floyd Dell
Pablo Picasso on Work
“Work is a necessity for man. Man invented the alarm clock.”
Thomas Jefferson on Luck
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” Thomas Jefferson, (attributed) 3rd president of US (1743 – 1826)
Henry David Thoreau on Success
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” Henry David Thoreau US Transcendentalist author (1817 – 1862)
Marie Curie on Work
“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Letter to her brother, 1894 Polish chemist & physicist (1867 – 1934)
George Burns on Politics
“Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.” George Burns US actor & comedian (1896 – 1996)
Samuel Johnson on Knowledge
“Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it.” Samuel Johnson, quoted in Boswell’s Life of Johnson English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 – 1784)
Edgar Bergen on Work
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” Edgar Bergen, (Charlie McCarthy) US comedian & ventriloquist (1903 – 1978)
Warren Beatty on Success
“You’ve achieved success in your field when you don’t know whether what you’re doing is work or play.” Warren Beatty US movie actor, director, & producer (1937 – )
M. C. Escher on Work
“My work is a game, a very serious game.” M. C. Escher Dutch artist (1898 – 1972)
Mahatma Gandhi on Work
“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Mahatma Gandhi Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 – 1948)
Oswald Chambers on Work
“The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.” Oswald Chambers
Samuel Johnson on Work
“Men are generally idle, and ready to satisfy themselves, and intimidate the industry of others, by calling that impossible which is only difficult.” Samuel Johnson, Life of Boerhaave English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 – 1784)
Robert Frost on Work
“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” Robert Frost US poet (1874 – 1963)
Mark Twain on Work
“Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.” Mark Twain
James M. Barrie on Work
“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” James M. Barrie Scottish dramatist & novelist (1860 – 1937)
De La Lastra’s Law
“After the last of 16 mounting screws has been removed from an access cover, it will be discovered that the wrong access cover has been removed.” De La Lastra’s Law
Andy Rooney on Computers
“Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don’t need to be done.” Andy Rooney US news commentator (1919 – )
Arnold J. Toynbee on Work
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” Arnold J. Toynbee
Pearl S. Buck on Work
“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.” Pearl S. Buck
Don Marquis on Procrastination
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” Don Marquis US humorist (1878 – 1937)
Jesse Owens on Dreams
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Jesse Owens
Erma Bombeck on Life
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me”. Erma Bombeck