A top-tier compliment in adulthood that one may receive are those encouraging 6 words: You’ve got a great work ethic! It feels incredibly rewarding to earn that adulting badge, but what are the deeper layers of work ethic, and how can you become more inspired to gain or enhance your work ethic?
In this article, not only will you completely understand the meaning of work ethic, but you’ll also obtain inspiring words of wisdom from those who have come from amazing backgrounds and but of course hard work.
In this article
Work Ethic Meaning
The dictionary definition of work ethic is as follows: (noun) the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward.
But sometimes definitions can seem a bit daunting with their wording, so what is the clear-cut work ethic meaning? In the simplest of terms, it is instilling hard work within yourself, no matter what that work may entail because you know that hard work is worthy of pursuing and it is rewarding, in the end, to do an above and beyond.
A boss may tell an employee that they have an amazing work ethic if that employee has shown up to work on time every day, has taken on tasks without being asked, and even done more than they were originally asked because they want to be thorough and perform well at work.
Work ethic is inside everyone — it just takes practice, determination, willingness, and drive to build it up and fuel that work ethic meter every shift or every day. Below are some encouraging, inspiring, and fantastic quotes on work ethic that will empower you to keep on keeping on…and you may also gain a few work perspectives you didn’t know were out there!
Quotes About Work Ethic and Character
Boost up your confidence in your work life with these quotes about work ethic and character — not only will you feel the empowerment of hard work course through you, but you may also learn a new thing or two from these hard-working folks!
- “It’s not about the number of hours you spend in the office. It is about your output.” -Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa
- “The best way to learn is by doing. The only way to build a strong work ethic is getting your hands dirty.” -Alex Spanos
- “Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.” -Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
- “Today I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.” -Dr. Seuss
- “If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes a sacrifice.” -Anonymous
- “Apply yourself at whatever you do, whether you’re a janitor or taking your first summer job, because that work ethic will be reflected in everything you do in life.” -Tyler Perry
- “There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” -Indira Gandhi
- “I can teach anyone how to do the work, but I can’t teach work ethic and I can’t teach attitude.” -Laura Tanner
- “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” -Helen Keller
- “Work like there is someone working twenty-four hours a day to take it away from you.” -Mark Cuban
- “The pain of self-discipline will never be as great as the pain of regret.” -Anonymous
- “Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece- by thought, choice, courage, and determination.” -John Luther
- “It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- “Those times you stay up late and you work hard. Those times when you don’t feel like working. You’re too tired. You don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream.” -Kobe Bryant
- “At the end of the day, you are solely responsible for your success and your failure. And the sooner you realize that and integrate that into your work ethic, you will start being successful. As long as you blame others for the reason you aren’t where you want to be, you will always be a failure.” -Erin Cummings
- “Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but a reflection of yours.” -Dave Willis
- “Here’s how I’m going to beat you. I’m going to outwork you. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.” -Pat Summitt
- “Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” -Jane Travis
- “It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone.” -Mark Cuban
- “Talent is a gift, but your attitude, work ethic, and character are things you have to develop yourself.” -Rebekah Harkness
Short Quotes About Work Ethic
Simple, short, and to the point…but don’t let the lack of words fool you — these short quotes about work ethic will still get you feeling fired up and ready to put in some hard work and build up your work ethic!
- “If people don’t know you for your work ethic, you ain’t working.” -Grant Cardone
- “Insane work ethic and hard work beat talent all the time.” -Anonymous
- “To be successful, you need to do the detailed work that no one else is willing to do.” -Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa
- “Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.” -David Bly
- “Nothing worth having comes easy.” -Anonymous
- “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” -Mike Adenuga
- Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” -Tim Ducan
- “Your goals have to speak to your values.” -Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa
- “Your expectations should never be higher than your work ethic.” -Anonymous
- “Hard work betrays none.” -Hachiman Hikigaya
- Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.” -Mohandas Gandhi
- “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” -Henry Ford
- “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” -Anonymous
- “If you don’t work for it then why do you think you deserve it?” -Marcus Lemonis
- “All roads that lead to success have to pass through hard work boulevard at some point.” -Eric Thomas
- “Your focus determines your decisions.” -Phuti Mahanyele Dabengwa
- “Work ethic takes no talent. It’s a decision.” -Anonymous
- “I have a work ethic. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it.” -Viggo Mortensen
- “Everyone talks about age, but it’s not about age. It’s about work ethic. Winning ever gets old.” -Lisa Leslie
- “High performers are not born; they are conditioned by habit.” -Bredon Burchard
Inspirational Quotes on Work Ethic
Everyone deserves to feel a light of courage ignited within them, especially if they’re feeling a little unsure of how they’re doing in their work life. Allow these inspirational quotes on work ethic to enter your mind, and they may just do the trick!
- “The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it.” -John Ruskin
- “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” -John Wooden
- “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Work is the key to success, and hard work can help you accomplish anything.” -Vince Lombardi
- “You can’t have a million-dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic.” -Stephen C. Hogan
- “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” -Stephen King
- “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” -Ann Landers
- “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.” -Michelangelo
- “Never stop doing your best just because someone doesn’t give you credit.” -Anonymous
- “Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.” -Barack Obama
- “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” -Derek Jeter
- “In terms of instilling the values of mental toughness and work ethic, discipline is the gift that keeps on giving.” -William Baldwin
- “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” -Vince Lombardi
- “Work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma, or any other natural attribute, it’s a choice.” -Mike Rowe
- “Success isn’t owned. It’s leased, and rent is due every day.” -J. J. Watt
- “If you built a house with your work ethic, dedication, and preparation would you trust its foundation enough to live in it?” -Robert Griffin III
- “Even though your time on the job is temporary, if you do a good enough job, your work there will last forever.” -Idowu Koyenikan
- “The two things in life you are in total control over are your attitude and your effort.” -Billy Cox
- “Some entrepreneurs think how can I make a lot of money? But the better way is to think how can I make people’s lives a lot better? If you get it right, the money will come.” -Richard Branson
- “Working hard becomes a habit, a serious kind of fun. You get self-satisfaction from pushing yourself to the limit, knowing that all the effort is going to pay off.” -Mary Lou Retton
- “If you’ve got confidence and the work ethic, you can make any dream come true.” -Bret Har
Work Ethic Bible Verses
Perhaps you may have thought that the term work ethic was a new age ordeal, but you can learn quite a bit about work ethic straight out of Bible verses!
- “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” -Psalm 128:2
- “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” -Matthew 5:16
- “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” -Proverbs 16:3
- “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” -Philippians 2:14-15
- “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9
- “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” -Ecclesiastes 9:10
- “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” -Psalm 90:17
- “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” -2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
- “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” -Romans 12:11
- “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” -Colossians 3:23-24
Take in these words of empowering encouragement and allow them to energize you into the hard worker you know is inside of you! Only you can bring out your work ethic, and most importantly don’t do it for others, prove it to yourself. You deserve to feel good about the work you put out into the world!