100 Highly Motivational Quotes for Work
Find 100 highly motivational quotes from a diverse range of authors—business leaders, inventors, historical figures, and more—each offering timeless wisdom for pushing through challenges and striving for excellence.
Introduction
Work can sometimes feel like a never-ending uphill climb—deadlines, responsibilities, and unexpected hurdles can weigh heavily on our motivation. However, a few powerful words from those who have walked the path before us can reignite that spark. Below, you’ll find 100 highly motivational quotes from a diverse range of authors—business leaders, inventors, historical figures, and more—each offering timeless wisdom for pushing through challenges and striving for excellence. Let these words remind you of your inner strength, vision, and potential as you continue your journey to professional success.
100 Highly Motivational Quotes for Work
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
– Vidal Sassoon“The future depends on what you do today.”
– Mahatma Gandhi“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
– Thomas Jefferson“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”
– Steve Jobs“Nothing will work unless you do.”
– Maya Angelou“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”
– Henry Ford“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
– Albert Einstein“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
– Walt Disney“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
– Thomas Edison“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
– Henry David Thoreau“Work gives you meaning and purpose, and life is empty without it.”
– Stephen Hawking“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
– Walt Disney“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”
– Jim Rohn“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”
– Sam Levenson“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
– Wayne Gretzky“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
– Henry Ford“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
– Theodore Roosevelt“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
– Tim Notke“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.”
– Scott Belsky“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
– Chinese Proverb“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
– Abraham Lincoln“If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.”
– Sheryl Sandberg“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill“If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it.”
– Elon Musk“Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”
– Gloria Steinem“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.”
– Jim Rohn“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
– Mark Twain“When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot.”
– Ray Kroc“Keep on going, and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it.”
– Charles F. Kettering“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
– Maya Angelou“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
– Thomas Paine“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
– Will Rogers“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
– Karen Lamb“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
– Pablo Picasso“Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.”
– Richard Branson“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
– Albert Einstein“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”
– Henry Ford“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
– Napoleon Hill“Success comes from curiosity, concentration, perseverance and self-criticism.”
– Albert Einstein“Don’t be busy, be productive.”
– Anonymous“Either find a way or make one.”
– Hannibal“Work to become, not to acquire.”
– Elbert Hubbard“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.”
– J.P. Morgan“If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents—start charging for it.”
– Kim Garst“The expert in anything was once a beginner.”
– Helen Hayes“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
– Confucius“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
– Winston Churchill“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
– Theodore Roosevelt“Focus on being productive instead of busy.”
– Tim Ferriss“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
– Arthur Ashe“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
– Joseph Addison“One finds limits by pushing them.”
– Herbert Simon“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”
– Zig Ziglar“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt“To be successful, you must act big, think big, and talk big.”
– Aristotle Onassis“The best revenge is massive success.”
– Frank Sinatra“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
– Harriet Beecher Stowe“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein“I would rather risk wearing out than rusting out.”
– Theodore Roosevelt“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
– John Wooden“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help build theirs.”
– Dhirubhai Ambani“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”
– Theodore Roosevelt“Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.”
– Thomas Edison“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
– Benjamin Franklin“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.”
– Robert Collier“Work until you no longer have to introduce yourself.”
– Harvey Specter (Character from Suits)“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
– Coleman Cox (Similar in spirit to a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson)“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.”
– Peter Marshall“Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
– Steve Martin“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
– Vincent Van Gogh“Don’t limit your challenges—challenge your limits.”
– Jerry Dunn“The road to success is always under construction.”
– Lily Tomlin“Make each day your masterpiece.”
– John Wooden“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
– Milton Berle“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Will Durant (often attributed to Aristotle)“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”
– Christian D. Larson“Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.”
– Walt Whitman“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
– Maya Angelou“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
– Abraham Lincoln“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
– Thomas Edison“If people only knew how hard I’ve worked to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”
– Michelangelo“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
– William Butler Yeats“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.”
– Kyle Chandler“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
– Jimmy Johnson“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
– Paulo Coelho“Well done is better than well said.”
– Benjamin Franklin“Fortune sides with him who dares.”
– Virgil“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.”
– Roy T. Bennett“Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.”
– Mae Jemison“An obstacle is often a stepping stone.”
– Prescott Bush“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.”
– Napoleon Hill“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.”
– Epicurus“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
– Muhammad Ali“We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”
– Marie Curie“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
– Jim Ryun“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
– Walt Disney“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.”
– Roy T. Bennett
Conclusion
Motivation is the force that propels us toward achievement, both personally and professionally. Each of these quotes highlights a valuable insight—from the power of belief in oneself to the importance of consistent effort. Keep them as daily reminders of your potential, and revisit them whenever you need a boost. Let these words of wisdom inspire you to work with renewed passion and determination, and remember that every small effort moves you closer to your goals. Embrace the journey, persevere through the challenges, and watch as your dedication transforms work into a source of fulfillment and success.
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