10 inspirational quotes for work

Looking for inspirational quotes for work to help motivate you? There’s nothing wrong with looking to successful people and wanting to know the philosophies that got them there.

It might inspire you to work harder, take a break, or help you get up the next morning. It is important to feel inspired so you can not only give your best but feel your best as well.

Your work ethic may not be at its most stellar now, or you might want to improve it, but help is help. Some people go for a walk, some take a sabbatical, and others turn to motivational quotes for work. Whatever your way of coping, these inspiring quotes from inspiring people could help.

Inspirational quotes for your workspace

Your work environment will more or less affect your work performance. If you have a space where you can focus, relax, and be productive at the same time, you’ve found the trifecta of a good work environment.

Have you thought about putting up little notes of inspiration? It doesn’t have to be something grand. A Post-It of several inspirational quotes for work will do.

Wherever you feel uninspired, look up, to your right or left, and let those quick reminders wash over you. If you feel particularly demotivated, you can watch videos or speeches of your favorite role model and take down notes for yourself. It’s a quick way to destress and motivate you at the same time.

10 inspirational quotes for work

Many inspiring people have given many a great piece about success, love, hard work, persistence, and many other inspiring topics. It would take forever to list all of them down, but you might take inspiration from some of the most influential and motivational people in history.

Listed below are some inspirational quotes from some of them.

• “A hundred times every day, I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead and that I must exert myself to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” — Albert Einstein.
• “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” — Maya Angelou.
• “For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson.
• “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” — Theodore Roosevelt.
• “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” — Helen Keller.
• “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” — Thomas Jefferson.
• “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.” — Mahatma Gandhi.
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain.
• “Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their vision.” — Ayn Rand.
• “Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try. For one thing, we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Who are the most inspiring figures to motivate you for work?

The names listed above are undeniably some of the most notable names in human memory. They have inspired global changes, created unity, inspired so many brilliant minds, and shaped history.

Their success and popularity have become an inspiration to many uninspired common folks. They, too, were regular folks at one point in their lives but had the opportunity to be more.

Other figures who have also inspired many from the workforce are Karl Marx, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Edison, Princess Diana, Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Colin Powell, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, and many others.

They are authors, leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, artists, and a dozen other personalities who always aim to inspire through the work they do.

Can inspiring quotes motivate you?

Words are a powerful tool. If you’re familiar with the saying that goes like, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” it might not entirely be accurate all of the time.

Words can inspire or demotivate someone, especially if they were in a certain state of mind. Can inspirational quotes make or break you? That depends entirely on you.

If you are easily influenced or inspired by others’ philosophy, reading or listening to their words may inspire you while working. It’s quite a common occurrence for many nowadays. Podcasts and radio channels find that motivating their audience gains more viewership. If you’re looking for inspirational quotes, start with someone you look up to.

Final Thoughts

In light of looking for inspirational quotes for work, perhaps the question isn’t whether the quote is inspiring or not in general.

Maybe the question is whether it invokes something in you. For example, Maya Angelou’s philosophy may inspire you. However, not your friend, just as Joseph Campbell may be their go-to for inspiration, whereas you don’t understand his philosophy.

Whatever inspires you, be it a quote or a whole book or a short video, it’s never wrong to look for it when times get tough.

Feeling uninspired is part of being human. You won’t always be a hundred percent ready every single day. However, perhaps some of these inspirational quotes for work can help you get your day started.