Ancient and Medieval Quotes on Work
“You shall be nourished by toil all the days of your life” —Genesis, Bible
“There is no shameful work – Socrates (469 – 399 BC)
“If you practice several jobs, you will not succeed in any of them” — Plato (427 – 347)
“The greedy hoard as if they were to live forever; the prodigal dissipates as if they were to die – Aristotle (384 – 322), Nicomachean Ethics.
“Stubborn work conquers all – Virgil, The Georgics, between 36 and 29 BC
“Work is the food of noble souls.” — Seneca (4 BC – AD 65)
“Work is necessary for man.
He invented the alarm clock – Pablo Picass
Quotes from the modern era (1492–1789) on Work
“The work of his body and the work of his hands are his own.” John Locke, Second Treatise on Civil Government, 1690
“Work removes from us three great evils: boredom, vice and want.” Voltaire, Candide, 1759
“The more ingenious our tools are, the more our organs become coarse and clumsy; by dint of gathering machines around us, we no longer find any in ourselves” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Émile or On Education, 1762.
“Work is the bread and butter of great nations.” — Mirabeau (1749–1791)
Quotes from the contemporary era (1789 present) on Work
“Days of work! The only days I have ever lived!” — Alfred de Musset, New Poems, 1836-1852.
“Capital is only the fruit of labor, and it could never have existed if labor had not first existed.” — Abraham Lincoln, First Annual Message to Congress, 1861
“A man who has no leisure, whose whole life, apart from mere physical interruptions for sleep, meals, etc., is taken up by his work for the capitalist, is less than a beast of burden” — Karl Marx (1818–1883)
“Life flourishes through work.” — Arthur Rimbaud, A Season in Hell, 1873
‘The bell says: Prayer! And the anvil: Work! – Victor Hugo, All the Lyre, 1888 and 1893
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Thanks a lot !! it perfectly complements the prepa courses!! your site is awesome!!!
@Link: Hello Link, “Labor omnia vincit improbus” (‘Hard work overcomes everything’) is indeed from the georgics de Virgile, livre I. You are absolutely right, Madame de Sévigné was able to use the formula, which has also been repeated many times throughout history. Thank you for your encouragement which makes us want to share even more,
Hello, I have a quick question about the quote “Hard work conquers everything. Isn’t it by Madame de Sévigné? Thank you in any case for this site which is, it must be said very well done! Thank you to the whole team who are in charge of sharing their knowledge with us.
I think your team also needs to move on to the various criticisms of the work: Karl Marx, Gandhi, and so many others. One way to contribute to critical thinking…