Words of Inspiration: Labor Day Quotes

“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the lines between work and play.” – Arnold J. Toynbee

Work is often perceived as something not fun, while playing is something that definitely is. If you can change that or select a career where your passion can be found, then it will feel like you are not working at all. All you are really doing is having fun while getting paid to do it. For some workers it may be hard to imagine. Having the mindset to change that perception is definitely no easy task, but once achieved work becomes the sweetest activity of all.

“A hundred times every day, I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” – Albert Einstein

One must never forget that one only stands where one is now thanks to the efforts of others, be it in this life or the afterlife. Those who have given their all to create the path we see before us are to be remembered, and one must learn from them to do as they have done or even better than they have done. It is a cycle wherein the continuous growth of everyone is assured.

“A man is not paid for having a head and hands, but for using them.” – Elbert Hubbard

No one gets paid to merely exist—not even celebrities who seem to do nothing (think about it, it takes a lot to seem like you're doing nothing). Everyone needs to put their existence to the test and contribute to the wealth of the world and their own lives by working. Our minds and bodies were made to be put to use and there is no reason why we can't do so. 

″Work is no disgrace; the disgrace is idleness.” – Hesiod

Working is something that anyone can always be proud of. They can show to the world that they are making a contribution to society and to the human race in the grand scheme of things. One should be ashamed of themselves if they are not working or not contributing in any way. They are leeching from those who work and should be considered a bane to those they depend on. They can't survive on their own and out of pity those that do work, work to support them.

“I’ve learned from experience that if you work harder at it and apply more energy and time to it, and more consistency, you get a better result. It comes from the work.” – Louis C. K.

Working on something, especially if it is one thing at a time, is akin to mastery of the matter. The more effort you put into it, the better your experience and familiarity of it will be. Once you have achieved a certain level of mastery, the desired results will show greater quality as opposed to when you first attempted that particular task. All of that is achieved thanks to the work that was put in.

“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If a person has no will or passion to do something, then nothing will ever happen for that person. It's common sense—if they can't do anything then nothing will ever be accomplished in the first place. There is no reward or anything that they could stand to gain from their idleness. So that means that if they want to get something, then they need to do something that will earn them what they seek to gain in the first place.

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” – Theodore Roosevelt

While it is true that anyone who works can create something that will benefit everyone, it is only through a great amount of trial and error, painstaking struggles, and a lot of research, development, and revision that they can create something that is truly worth something. Once they believe their work to be done than they can do it again and do it even better. They may have moved on, but the knowledge and experience they gained from their previous efforts will show in their new tasks and it will make it even better than the last one.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

If you can do something that you have a passion for and also get someone to pay you to do it, it will seem like you have never really been working at all. When you are doing something you love, there is a great feeling of seeing things through as opposed to just doing tasks that you hate and drudge through half-heartedly. There is also a greater sense of accomplishment if you are awarded or recognized for your efforts. Because the work was intrinsically rewarding in itself, the external validation is an unexpected bonus, making the reward all the more sweeter. 

“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

No matter how small your pay or how demeaning your task may be, know that no matter what, in some small way, you are doing your part to contributing to humanity as a whole. It is important in the greater scope of things, no mater how insignificant it may seem to the eyes of the people and your own. Once a person reaizes this fact, they should continue to do their work—and this time with pride and with the hopes of one day letting everyone see just how much you are actually contributing to the overall development of humanity.