Quotes about work

This guy [Security Guard] was in a navy suit with an unfortunate orange tie, and was nearing us with the caution of a man on a minimum wage zero hours contract who planned to give his employers exactly what they paid for.

I found that if you voluntarily take on a chore somebody else doesn’t want to do, they don’t check the results too closely—in case they have to do it again themselves.

Guleed went home because she has, she says, a deep and mystical understanding of the work-life balance. A concept I once tried explaining to Nightingale with the aid of the big whiteboard in the visitors' lounge. I think he grasped it in the end, and said he was all in favour as long as I understood that this in no way applied to apprentices.

A working-man's life is a dog's life, that's what it is.

If all people had a decent job to occupy their minds, and regular meals to satisfy their hunger, most crimes would not be committed.

Anyone who is willing to work and is serious about it will certainly find a job. Only you must not go to the man who tells you this, for he has no job to offer and doesn't know anyone who knows of a vacancy. This is exactly the reason why he gives you such generous advice, out of brotherly love, and to demonstrate how little he knows the world.

One got tired, and not infrequently a little stupid, by the end of a shift.

Mental work was harder than physical work, although it was not exactly the mind that teaching strained. (p41)

The sweat of hard work is not to be displayed. It is much more graceful to appear favored by the gods. (p64)

there is an automatic pleasure in watching a thing done well.

"Try to remember this, men. The mark of a professional in any line of work - I mean any line of work - is that he can make difficult things look easy."

Other people’s jobs always seemed easier than yours until you actually had to do them.