60 Work Ethic Quotes To Keep You Driven and Focused

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

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work ethic quotes wisdom
You’ll love these 60 amazing work ethic quotes.

If you’re a

  • Student
  • Employee
  • Athlete

You’ll need discipline, motivation, and dedication to your job.

Because success is not about luck.

And these quotes will guide and inspire you.

With authors like

  • Kobe Bryant
  • Albert Einstein
  • David Goggins

You’ll find the role model you need.

People who gave everything to their tasks.

And became legends.

Will we become one of these legends?

Perhaps not.

But we’ll make our mark, our way.

Enjoy!

Top 10 Work Ethic Quotes

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My work ethic is the single most important factor in all of my accomplishments. David Goggins

I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. Kobe Bryant

You can’t have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic. Zig Ziglar

Crave the result so intensely that the work is irrelevant. Tim Grover

If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all. Michelangelo

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The ones who break through tend to have a work ethic to support their dream. Rick Rubin

Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value. Albert Einstein

Become addicted to the work and the results will follow. Shane Parrish

The works must be conceived with fire in the soul but executed with clinical coolness. Joan Miró

Whatever the work is, do it well – not for the boss, but for yourself. Toni Morrison

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Short Quotes About Work Ethic

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The harder I work, the luckier I get. Samuel Goldwyn

Work ethic eliminates fear. Michael Jordan

Mind of a beginner. Work ethic of an immigrant. Dan Go

Character is defined by your ethics, not just by your work ethic. Adam Grant

Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose. G.K. Nielson

The world doesn’t care about your effort. It cares about your output. Alez Hormozi

Inspiration and work ethic – they ride right next to each other. Jack White

The path of least resistance is a terrible teacher. Ryan Holiday

Have a huge work ethic, be ambitious, aggressive, tough. Ron Conway

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work ethic quotes beats talent tim notke wisdom

Work ethic beats talent when talent doesn’t work. Tim Notke

Always choose the future over the past. Brian Tracy

Become a new school thinker with an old school work ethic. Anthony Pompliano

Don’t tell me how talented you are. Tell me how hard you work. Arthur Rubinstein

Vision like an entrepreneur. Work ethic like an immigrant. Dan Go

Overnight success takes decades of daily work. Paulo Coelho

A strong work ethic doesn’t guarantee strong ethics. Adam Grant

I’d rather be known for work ethic than talent. Alex Hormozi

Work ethic must exceed the expectation level. Tom Coughlin

Everything must be earned. Dan Go

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More Quotes About Work Ethic

work ethic quotes excellence never accident execution aristotle wisdom

Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution. Aristotle

I have a work ethic. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. Viggo Mortensen

It’s the work on your desk. Do well with what you already have and more will come in. Charlie Munger

May the work of your hands be a sign of gratitude and reverence to the human condition. Mahatma Gandhi

I never viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening, work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping, I’m working. Will Smith

I trained 4 years to run 9 seconds and people give up when they don’t see results in 2 months. Usain Bolt

Work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma, or any other natural attribute, it’s a choice. Mike Rowe

It doesn’t matter if you flip burgers, bricks or houses. Just don’t sit on your ass all day flipping channels. Hustle. Denzel Washington

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Working hard is important, but working on the right thing is more important. A great strategy can deliver exponential results. James Clear

Work ethic is a set of values guiding professional behavior, encompassing integrity, responsibility, quality, discipline, and teamwork. Alexandros Pantelakis (Source)

The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work Steve Jobs

Obsess to find ways to win. Work ethic separates the great from the good. Kobe Bryant

Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple. Barry Switzer

I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented; where I excel is in a ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While the other guy is sleeping, I’m working. While the other guy is eating, I’m working. Will Smith

Being professional is upholding high standards in low moments. It’s caring to do a good job even in jobs we don’t love; treat others with respect even if we’re disrespected; and do right even if we’re wronged. Adam Grant


work ethic quotes 99th percentile focused brett adcock wisdom

Getting in the 99th percentile takes focus and hard work. You won’t get there without a strong work ethic. Brett Adcock

A great work ethic isn’t about working whenever you’re called upon. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do, putting in a fair day’s work, respecting the work, respecting the customer, respecting coworkers, not wasting time, not creating unnecessary work for other people, and not being a bottleneck. Work ethic is about being a fundamentally good person that others can count on and enjoy working with. Jason Fried

My father wanted to instill the work ethic. And, because he knew if you don’t learn to work to be more productive to improve your efficiency, to cooperate with other people at an early age, you may never learn those habits. Charles Koch

Stop equating work ethic with excessive work hours. Neither is going to get you ahead or help you find calm. Jason Fried

Hard work is the foundation of progress. Plus long-term perseverance, open-mindedness, and a little bit of crazy helps. Lex Fridman

Our father taught us such a work ethic that if there’s something worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Donny Osmond

Live by the creed that a strong work ethic, playing by the rules, and doing things the right way will bring about opportunities for success and, ultimately, happiness. Nick Saban

work ethic quotes harder luckier get samuel goldwyn wisdom quoteswork ethic quotes job judge create master james clear wisdom

It is not our job to judge our own work. It is our job to create it, to pour ourselves into it, and to master our craft as best we can. James Clear

You will learn that as a leader your best means of moving people in your direction lies in setting the right tone through your attitude, empathy, and work ethic. Robert Greene

Look at the best businesses in the world. What do they have in common? Grand vision. Great product. Ability to adapt. Great leadership. Legendary work ethic. Real impact doesn’t happen with passive effort. Brett Adcock

To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction. Cal Newport

The people who appear to have an exceptional work ethic or remarkable discipline are often those with a genuine curiosity or interest in that area. James Clear

Behind every successful person is a relentless work ethic, the ability to block out distractions. Lilly Singh

If you have a ferocious work ethic, everyone will respect you. Anthony Pompliano

work ethic quotes maniacal over prepare kobe bryant wisdom

Have a maniacal work ethic. You want to over-prepare so that luck becomes a product of design. Kobe Bryant

Conclusion

work ethic quotes stop wishing better genetics dan go wisdom

Stop wishing you had better genetics. Start wishing you had better work ethic. Dan Go

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Visual For Work Ethic

work ethic quotes visual success wisdom

What you do today can improve all your tomorrows. Ralph Marston

Bottom line if you want success of any kind: you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Tim Grover

Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out. Robert Collier

Life is only meaningful when we are striving for a goal. Aristotle

Key Takeaways

  • Dedication. Remember: success is not about luck. It’s about taking massive actions.
  • Dream (and more). To succeed, you’ll need goals and dreams. But most importantly, you’ll need daily discipline. If the road is easy, it probably leads to a town named Nowhere.
  • Work on the right things. Hard work is vital to reach your goals. But keep in mind: working on the right things is even more important.
  • Perseverance (and patience). Good work ethic is about showing up every day. But it’s also about patience for results.
  • Do like Kobe. Kobe Bryant was relentless, maniacal, and over-prepared. And he wanted it this way. And that’s why he became Kobe Bryant.

Further Readings

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

August 27, 2024

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