Awesome Inspirational Quotes For Work

Whether it’s said by a coach, a teacher, or a president, everyone loves a good motivational quote.

There’s something about the combination of deep thoughts and snappy wording that can break you out of a rut, make you feel understood, and get you excited about life (or at least the task at hand) again.

A simple, powerful quote can cut through the noise of people screaming at each other on social media and of influential people using $20 words to say absolutely nothing at all.

You might hang them up on your office walls, write them on your mirror, or just Google a list of them when you need a little inspiration. Or, maybe you have a book or calendar with daily words of wisdom to give you something to chew on as you go through your day.

Whatever your method, inspirational quotes can change the way you view life and work.

Why are Motivational Quotes Important for Work?

Motivational quotes are important for keeping you focused and, well, motivated in your work.

They evoke an emotional response that can help you find the drive to start and keep working, but they can also teach you essential life principles.

Few people wouldn’t love to sit down and talk with the most successful business owners, scientists, presidents, and authors in history. Well, you may not be able to do that, but you can still learn from them through what they’ve said and written.

Short, powerful quotes are often written after the author or speaker has thought long and hard about the subject. As a result, these nuggets are usually reflections of what the writer truly believes in, and the best ones spark more profound thought in you, the reader.

They can also serve as reminders that even the most successful people in the world have to find ways to motivate themselves to get up and go to work every morning like the rest of us, which can be inspiring in and of itself.

If you need some motivation or just a little perspective, reading inspirational quotes about work can give you a boost.

20 Motivational Quotes About Work

There is no shortage of motivational quotes about working, but here are some of the best and most popular to get you started.

If you find a few in particular that you like, consider looking up more writings by the person who said it. You never know what additional words of wisdom you might find.

1. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” —Henry Ford

2. “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

3. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” —Confucius

4. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” —Conrad Hilton

5. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

6. “Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” —Stephen R. Covey

7. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Lorimer

8. “Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you’re willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz

9. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” —Karen Lamb

10. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” —Earl Nightingale

11. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” —Theodore Roosevelt

12. “Failure it appears is not the regret that haunts most people; it is the choice not to risk failure at all.” ―Dr. John Izzo

13. “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” —Robert Collier

14. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie

15. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” —Thomas A. Edison

16. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” —Maya Angelou

17. “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and again and bring their friend. — Walt Disney

18. “There is only one way to avoid criticism. Do nothing. Be nothing. Say nothing.” —Aristotle

19. “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” ―Mark Twain

20. “I would visualize things coming to me. It would just make me feel better. Visualization works if you work hard. That’s the thing. You can’t just visualize and go eat a sandwich.” —Jim Carrey

Ten Quotes About Working Harder (and Smarter)

Deciding to pursue an ambitious goal or going the extra mile can feel like a lonely place, but you’re actually in good company. Here are some inspirational quotes by other hardworking people to encourage you to get started and keep going:

1. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” —Thomas Edison

2. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” —Dale Carnegie

3. “Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day.

   We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead.

   Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird. “ —Anne Lamott

4. “Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost legendary. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.” —Calvin Coolidge

5. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” —Mark Twain

6. “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.” —Abraham Lincoln

7. “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.” —Confucius

8. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” —Stephen King

9. “Dreams can come true, but there is a secret. They’re realized through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, practice, focus and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over years, not weeks.” —Elbert Hubbard

10. “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” —Vince Lombardi

Ten Uplifting Quotes for a Rough or Stressful Day at Work

Bad days happen to everyone. Whether you made a mistake in your job, keep hitting a wall on your project, or had a disagreement with your coworker or boss, a few encouraging quotes may be what you need to break out of that cloud and get ready to get back in the saddle

1. “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” —Dale Carnegie

2. “You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.” —Mahatma Gandhi

3. “When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” —Peter Marshall

4. “It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.” —Colin Powell

5. “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” —M. Scott Peck

6. “The best way out is always through.” —Robert Frost

7. “Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I’ll show you someone who has never achieved much.” —Joan Collins

8. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger

9. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” —Helen Keller

10. “I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.” —Maya Angelou

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.