Work’s not always easy, and staying motivated can be a challenge. But, as you’ll probably spend over 40 years of your life working, it’s important to stay positive, give it your best, and achieve your goals.
We’ve curated a list of 50 of the most brilliant work quotes of all time, which will inspire you and put a smile on your face (and those of your colleagues!). Whether you’re looking for motivational work quotes for career success, you need a quote for a business presentation, or you want to be entertained, you’ve come to the right place!
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Funny Motivational Quotes for Work
Humor can lighten even the toughest days at work. Use these quotes as icebreakers in meetings, add them to your email signature for a touch of personality, or display them in common areas to boost morale.
Start your next team meeting with a quote like, “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs… One step at a time” (Joe Girard). It’s a lighthearted way to remind everyone that progress takes effort.
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” Dalai Lama
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible.’ ” Audrey Hepburn
“Confidence is 10% hard work and 90% delusion.” Tina Fey
“The road to success is always under construction.” Lily Tomlin
“It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by then I was too famous.” Robert Benchley
“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.” Terry Pratchett
“Live each day like it’s your second to the last. That way you can fall asleep at night.” Jason Love
“Even a stopped clock is right twice every day. After some years, it can boast of a long series of successes.” Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach
“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” Kyle Chandler
Inspirational Quotes for Work
When motivation runs low, these quotes about work can reignite your drive. Use them in presentations to inspire your audience, or keep one handy for those moments when you need a quick pick-me-up.
Add a quote like “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible” (Charles Kingsleigh) to the opening slide of your next presentation to set an optimistic tone.
“Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up” Chinese proverb
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill
“Go as far as you can see, when you get there you’ll be able to see further.” Thomas Carlyle
“Someday is not a day of the week.” Janet Dailey
“Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.” Malcolm Forbes
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Abraham Lincoln
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams
Funny (and Cynical!) Work Quotes
A touch of cynicism can make tough workdays more bearable. Share these quotes with colleagues during coffee breaks or post them on Slack for a quick laugh.
Lighten the mood on a stressful day by sharing, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it” (Bill Gates). It’s bound to get some chuckles and spark conversation.
“Doing nothing is very hard to do; you never know when you’re finished.” Leslie Nielsen
“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” Oscar Wilde
“Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.” George Carlin
“By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.” Robert Frost
“If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.” Claude McDonald
“If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving definitely isn’t for you.” Steven Wright
“Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.” Peter Drucker
“My boss told me to have a good day, so I went home.” Anonymous
“The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” Albert Einstein
Hard Work Quotes
When the going gets tough, these hard-hitting work motivational quotes remind us why perseverance matters. Share them during team huddles or write one on a sticky note as a personal motivator.
For example, encourage your team with, “Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get” (Ray Kroc). It’s an ideal mantra for tackling challenging projects.
“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work.” Vince Lombardi Jr.
“When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all.” Theodore Roosevelt
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” Stephen King
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” Mark Twain
“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.” Gordon B. Hinckley
“The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen.” Sarah Brown
“You will never plough a field if you only turn it over in your mind.” Irish Proverb
“Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” Helena Rubinstein
“The difference between greed and ambition is a greedy person desires things he isn’t prepared to work for.” Habeeb Akande
Teamwork Quotes
Teamwork makes the dream work! Use these positive quotes for work to foster collaboration and unity. Add them to team emails or display them in meeting rooms to reinforce the power of working together.
Kick off your next group project with, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” (African Proverb). It’s a powerful reminder of what can be achieved collectively.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan
“It is better to have one person working with you than three people working for you.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” Charles Darwin
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” Henry Ford
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Harry Truman
“Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” Steve Jobs
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Ryunosuke Satoro
“The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” Lewis B. Ergen
Did a quote make you laugh or spark inspiration? Share it with your team to brighten their day, and post it on social media to spread the positivity!
Let’s make work a little more fun together.
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