Hard work doesn’t happen by accident. The greater your dreams, the harder you’ll need to work. In life, there will never be a moment where hard work isn’t required. While we all need a balance of relaxation and work, it can be difficult to stay motivated.

Positive Quotes About Work

If you need that extra push to encourage yourself to take your work ethic to the next level, keep reading and find your new affirmation. The following quotes are inspired by some of the world’s greatest thinkers and dreamers:

1. “One needs three essential things to achieve something worthwhile: hard work, stick-to-itiveness, and common sense.” —Thomas Edison

These types of positive quotes explain that the greatest achievements in life hardly happen by accident. The more consistent we are and the harder we work, the likelier we are to achieve our dreams.


2. “In order to grow, we must work. We will never develop intellectually or physically without first putting forth effort—which always requires work.” —Calvin Coolidge

Life isn’t easy. At times, we may be tempted to think we can achieve our goals by willing them into reality. The truth is that only after our greatest efforts that we experience what we hope to achieve.

3. “Individuals that have reached the top of a mountain didn’t arrive there by falling.” —Unknown

This quote paints a picture reminding us of how hard we must work to get to where we want to go. Regardless of what your personal mountain may be, the only way to get there is to climb.

4. “Without hard work, you’re only going to grow weeds.” —Gordon B. Hinckley

This gardening analogy likens our personal growth to a garden. If you hope to grow more than weeds in your life, you need to put in more than the minimum amount of effort.

5. “Don’t give up. While the beginning may be the hardest part, you’ll be rewarded for your consistent hard work.” —Unknown

Giving up isn’t an option. Regardless of how hard life may get, keep going. Keep pushing and working hard and you’ll reap the rewards soon enough.

6. “Happiness is more than the possession of money—to be truly happy, you must achieve. Happiness is in the thrill of your creative effort.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

The former president got this quote right. Even though most of our energy goes into making money, that isn’t where happiness is found. We must use our creative energies to accomplish our deepest desires in order to truly find happiness.

7. “The harder you work, the more luck you will have.” —Thomas Jefferson

Positive quotes like this one speak to the power of making your own luck in life. The more you work to achieve your dreams, the more opportunities you’ll be able to take advantage of.

8. “Success is about more than greatness—it’s about being consistent. Consistent work creates success. Greatness will follow.” —Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Too many people are under the impression that success only happens for a select few that are “lucky”. True success isn’t about luck—it’s about working hard day in and day out to create the future that you want.

9. “Hard work highlights one’s character: while some roll their sleeves up to get to work, others never turn up to work at all.” —Sam Ewing

Work isn’t inherently fun. At time’s it’s even painful—show up anyway.

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10. “Quality is more valuable than quantity. A home run is far more important than two doubles.”—Steve Jobs

As Steve Jobs shares in positive quotes like this one, the quality of the work you do will always shine brighter than the quantity of what you create. Do a better job now so you can do more later.

11. “Perseverance is the work that must be done after you tire of the work you’ve already completed.”— Newt Gingrich

The thing about hard work is that it’s constant. While you may tire of hard work, you must keep going. The more you persevere, the further you will go in life.

12. “I work hard and play hard as well. I love life as I believe that life loves those who love it.”—Maya Angelou

Life is about balance; work hard now so you can enjoy everything life has to offer.

13. “Dreams don’t become a reality as a result of magic. It is through sweat, hard work, and determination that makes dreams work.” —Colin Powell

Magic isn’t real, but hard work is. Put in the effort now and watch your dreams unfold magically before your eyes in the future.

14. “The person you are tomorrow starts with what you decide to do today.” —Tim Fargo

Every action we take has a consequence. Work on becoming a better person tomorrow by wisely choosing what you give your time to today.

15. “Know what the difference is between triumph and try? All it is is a little umph!”—Marvin Phillips

Positive quotes about work like this one show just how capable we all are at making our dreams a reality. With a bit of motivation and effort, we can accomplish anything we put our minds to.

16. “Developing a strong work ethic now is key. Your work ethic will follow you wherever you go in life.”—Tyler Perry

Wherever life may take us, we will always need to keep working hard. Start redefining your work ethic now by giving as much effort as possible in everything you do.

17. “Your dreams only work if you do.”—John C. Maxwell

Want your deepest desires to work out? Then get to work.

18. “The greedy person is different than the ambitious person as the former isn’t prepared to work hard for things they desire.” —Habeeb Akande

If you want everything you desire in life, you must work for it. While someone without the desire to work might be labeled as greedy, those that work hard deserve every good thing that is coming their way.

19. “Success depends on very important glands—your sweat glands.” —Zig Ziglar

This quote highlights the real work that goes into success. Without blood, sweat, and tears, you won’t be able to achieve your deepest desires.

20. “I’d rather wear myself out from hard work than rust out from stagnation.” —Theodore Roosevelt

We are all more capable than we realize. Why let ourselves rust out when we can push ourselves to the limit, working as hard as possible?

21. “Work hard, assert yourself, and use your imagination to shape the world as you see fit.” —Malcolm Gladwell

The harder you work, the more opportunity you have to create your ideal world.

22. “Build your work ethic by doing what you need to. Work hard and learn by doing.” — Alex Spanos

Our responsibilities teach us how to get what we want in life. We learn very important lessons by getting to work and taking care of what we must. These lessons should be applied to everything else we do in the future.

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23. “Don’t be afraid to enjoy life, but make sure you work hard, study hard, set higher standards, and learn to say ‘No.'” —Nia Long

Just as it is important to work hard, positive quotes like this show us that we need to learn how to make our lives work for us. By setting high standards and saying “no” when we need to, we’ll be able to keep working with the same level of consistency.

24. “Every time you don’t give your all, it’s that much easier for your competition to win.”  —Unknown

Life isn’t necessarily a competition, but to truly be successful, you have to come out on top. The only way to win in these scenarios is to give your all.

25. “It’s not about not getting knocked down; it’s about every time you get back up.” —Vince Lombardi

Getting knocked down is part of life. What will you do to make sure you can get up just as fast as you fell down? How can you work to prevent the same things from knocking you down again?

26. “Don’t give up! Rejection and failure are the first steps to succeeding.” —Jim Valvano

Think of failure and rejection as life’s greatest teachers. Positive quotes like this show us that while failure doesn’t feel that great, it means we’re on the path to success.

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27. “Most people never know how close they are to success when they give up.” —Ross Perot

Tempted to toss in the towel? While it may feel better than being rejected, you’re likely closer than you realize to succeeding.

28. “There may be other people that are more talented than you; that doesn’t give you an excuse to let others work harder than you.” —Derek Jeter

Talent isn’t the defining factor of what makes someone successful. There will always be someone that is more technically talented than you–work hard anyway.

29. “Train hard, become hard, and you’ll become harder to beat.” —Hershel Walker

The more you train, the stronger you’ll be. The more you work, the further you’ll go.

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30. “You’re only a loser once you quit trying.” —Mike Ditka

Failure and giving up aren’t the same thing. Just like the positive quotes about work teach, don’t quit, don’t give up-keep going.

31. “If you can’t play better than them, work harder than them.” —Ben Hogan

If you’re outplayed that doesn’t mean you’ve lost—this is simply an opportunity for you to improve your work ethic. Learn to work harder and you’ll find a way to win.

Final Thoughts on Positive Quotes About Work

Treat these positive quotes like life lessons or affirmations. Anytime you’re tempted to throw in the towel, remember what these great leaders and thinkers have said.

Hard work is something that no one can take away from you. Keep going and you’ll see how far your blood, sweat, and motivation will take you.