“Heaven is blessed with perfect rest but the blessing of earth is toil.” – Henry van Dyke

“The work of Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God. This does not, of course, mean that it is for anyone a mere toss-up whether he should sweep floors or compose symphonies. We are members of one body, but different members with his own vocation.” – C.S. Lewis

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” – Francis of Assisi

“God sells us all things at the price of labor.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on.” – Elbert Hubbard

“Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind.” – Henry Ford

“Work isn't to make money; you work to justify life.” – Marc Chagall

“Without labor nothing prospers.” – Sophocles

“Labor was the first price, the original purchase-money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labor, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased.” – Adam Smith

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” – Ovid

“Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another.” – Anatole France, The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard

“A mind always employed is always happy. This is the true secret, the grand recipe, for felicity.” – Thomas Jefferson

“God give me work, till my life shall end and life, till my work is done.” – Epitaph of Winifred Holtby

“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” – Mark Twain

“Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” – Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

“The only liberty an inferior man really cherishes is the liberty to quit work, stretch out in the sun, and scratch himself.” – H.L. Mencken

“If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” – Tom Hanks

“There is precious little hope to be got out of whatever keeps us industrious, but there is a chance for us whenever we cease work and become stargazers.” – H.M. Tomlinson

“The end of labor is to gain leisure.” – Aristotle

“It is labour indeed that puts the difference on everything.” – John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690

“If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.” – Doug Larson

“Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken.” – Bill Dodds

“There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” – James Matthew Barrie

“There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there's virtually no competition.” – Steven J. Ross

“I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.” – Ray Bradbury

“Do it well, finish it properly, and move on.” – Eunice Kennedy Shriver

“Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” – Julia Child

“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” – Sandra Day O'Connor

“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. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.” – Steve Jobs

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle