Let’s be honest—work isn’t always fun. We all have those days when we’re bursting with energy, ready to conquer our to-do list, and others when just getting out of bed feels like a victory. The right words can do wonders if you’re tackling a big project, dealing with workplace stress, or need a little extra push.
That’s where motivational quotes come in! A simple, powerful phrase can shift your mindset, boost your confidence, and remind you why you started in the first place. So, if you’re looking to take control of your work experience and need a pick-me-up or a dose of inspiration to keep moving forward, you’re in the right place.
These 80+ motivational quotes for work will help you stay focused, positive, and determined—no matter what your workday throws at you. Let’s dive in!
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
- “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
- “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
- “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
- “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” – John F. Kennedy
- “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” – Charles Kingsleigh
- “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” – Chris Grosser
- “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
- “Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson
- “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot
- “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” – George Washington
- “Work hard in silence, let success make the noise.” – Frank Ocean
- “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
- “Dream big. Start small. Act now.” – Robin Sharma
- “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
- “The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson
- “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
- “A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
- “If you want to lift yourself, lift someone else.” – Booker T. Washington
- “A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.” – Simon Sinek
- “None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard
- “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
- “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” – John C. Maxwell
- “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter.” – Dan Reeves
- “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” – Rikki Rogers
- “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” – Duke Ellington
- “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats
- “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t.” – Theodore Roosevelt.
- “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
- “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
- “Success is not in never failing, but rising every time you fall.” – Vince Lombardi
- “You can’t have a million-dollar dream with a minimum-wage work ethic.” – Stephen C. Hogan
- “Never let success get to your head and never let failure get to your heart.” – Anonymous
- “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
- “Your work is your signature. Make it stand out.” – Anonymous
- “Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.” – Katharine Whitehorn
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
- “Success is not just about making money. It’s about making a difference.” – Anonymous
- “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle
- “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your actions.” – Dalai Lama
- “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
- “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott
- “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined.” – Anonymous
- “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie
- “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
- “Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out of it alive.” – Elbert Hubbard
- “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” – Paulo Coelho
- “Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” – Ralph Marston
- “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Lou Holtz
- “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” – Peter Marshall
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “Winners are not those who never fail but those who never quit.” – Edwin Louis Cole
- “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
- “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right.” – Tony Robbins
- “There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison
- “Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb
- “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden
- “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” – Walt Disney
- “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford
- “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” – Dale Carnegie
- “You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” – Jim Rohn
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
- “Your limitation—it’s only your imagination.” – Anonymous
- “A year from now, you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
- “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” – Elbert Hubbard
- “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou
- “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
- “If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.” – Buddha
- “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra
- “Hustle in silence and let your success make the noise.” – Anonymous
- “Everything is hard before it is easy.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- “Never stop learning because life never stops teaching.” – Anonymous
- “If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn
- “Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
- “Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.” – Anonymous
In Summary
Work can be challenging, but guess what? You’re tougher! When obstacles come your way, remember that motivation isn’t about constantly feeling inspired; it’s about taking that next step forward, even when the going gets tough.
These motivational quotes for work are like little boosts of energy, reminding you of your incredible strength and potential.
So, the next time you feel stuck or overwhelmed, revisit these powerful words. Let them reignite your passion, uplift your mood, and remind you that every success is achieved one step at a time. Now, go out there and turn your goals into reality—you’ve got this!