Achieving success in your career means showing up, doing the work and improving every day. It’s normal to have days where things just don’t seem to flow, and sometimes, all you need is a little spark to get you going. These motivational quotes for work will inspire you to start the day off on a positive note. Keep in mind that starts with motivation, but it takes consistency and strength to make impactful changes and advance your career. Take things day by day, and those productive work days will start to add up.
Refer to these work quotes when you need a jumpstart, a reminder to stay on task or a little boost to overcome a setback on the job. Though you’ll face challenges in your career, when you don’t give up you can stay focused on the road to success.
Inspirational Quotes For Work To Keep You Motivated
Staying motivated at work can be hard when things don’t go as planned. Don’t let fear of failing hold you back from success. These inspirational quotes are the spark you need to motivate you throughout the workday.
- “The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change. The signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency.” —Jim Collins
- “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now—not for the person we were in the past.” —Marie Kondo
- “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing; that’s why we recommend it daily.” —Zig Ziglar
- “The road to success is always under construction.” —Lily Tomlin
- “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” —Abraham Lincoln
- “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” —Tim Notke
- “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” —John C. Maxwell
- “If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself.” —Mindy Kaling
- “Everything is within your power and your power is within you.” —Janice Trachtman
- “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” —John C. Maxwell
- “Work like there is someone working twenty-four hours a day to take it away from you.” —Mark Cuban
- “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.” —Jessie Potter
- “If you’re too comfortable, it’s time to move on. Terrified of what’s next? You’re on the right track.” —Susan Fales-Hill
- “Success isn’t overnight. It’s when every day you get a little better than before. It adds up.” —Dwayne Johnson
- “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” —Vince Lombardi
Related: 5 Keys To Leveling Up Your Career
Positive Quotes For Work Motivation
Some days, a little positivity is all you need. Start each workday with a positive quote to motivate you to do your best work yet. After all, motivational job quotes can help you keep looking at the bright side no matter what the day brings.
- “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou
- “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz
- “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” —Napoleon Hill
- “Create, take risks, live your passion.” —Krista Aoki
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” —Oliver Goldsmith
- “The real opportunity for success lies within the person and not in the job.” —Zig Ziglar
- “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.” —Naeem Callaway
- “The people who succeed are irrationally passionate about something.” —Naval Ravikant
- “With hard work and dedication, anything is possible.” —Timothy Weah
- “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” —Albert Schweitzer
- “No alarm clock needed; my passion wakes me.” —Eric Thomas
- “Winners focus on winning. Losers focus on winners.” —Conor McGregor
- “The man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic-the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly, not the man who only talks or writes about how it ought to be done.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “Every day is a potential seed that we can grow into something beautiful.” —Austin Kleon
- “The future depends on what you do today.” —Mahatma Gandhi
Related: 3 Science-Backed Ways To Improve Your Performance
Encouraging Sayings To Get Motivated At Work
These encouraging quotes for work are proof that you are in control of your work day. It starts with motivation; it ends with hard work and endless possibilities.
- “It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” —Henry Ford
- “Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson after.” —Oscar Wilde
- “Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” —William A. Ward
- “Life is 10% what happens to you and 9% how you react to it.” —Charles R. Swindoll
- “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” —Conrad Hilton
- “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this—you haven’t.” —Thomas Edison
- “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” —Henry Ford
- “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” —Seth Godin
- “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” —Paulo Coelho
- “Losers quit when they fail. Winners fail until they succeed.” —Robert T. Kiyosaki
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” —Henry Ford
- “I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” —Vincent van Gogh
- “People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” —F.M. Alexander
- “Just start. Don’t worry that you don’t have all the answers yet.” —Alli Webb
- “If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.” —Tony Robbins
- “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” —Pelé
- “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” —Robert Collier
Related: Success Takes Time And Hard Work—Follow These 5 Steps To Stick With It To The End
Motivational Work Quotes For Aspiring Leaders
Do you dream of someday leading a team of your own? These leadership quotes are a great place to start. Take this wisdom and turn it into a successful career. Motivational phrases for work can help you remind yourself of important truths to learn, grow and gain the wisdom to be a strong leader.
- “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” —Alexander Den Heijer
- “There are five nonnegotiable characteristics that every effective leader must have: a sense of calling, an ability to communicate, creativity in problem solving, generosity, and consistency.” —John C. Maxwell
- “If you delegate tasks, you create followers. If you delegate authority, you create leaders.” —Craig Groeschel
- “Sometimes you gotta create what you want to be part of.” —Geri Weitzman
- “Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.” —Steve Jobs
- “A leader’s job is to look into the future and see the organization, not as it is, but as it should be.” —Jack Welch
- “The joy of leadership comes from seeing others achieve more than they thought they were capable of.” —Simon Sinek
- “One of the most powerful questions a leader can ask their people is, ‘What can I do to help you?’” —Nate Miller
- “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” —Steve Jobs
- “Daring leaders work to make sure people can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging.” —Brené Brown
- “We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who affirm our conclusions. Strong leaders engage their critics and make themselves stronger.” —Adam Grant
- “As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.” —John C. Maxwell
- “In most cases, being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” —Tina Fey
- “We don’t need a title to lead. We just need to care. People would rather follow a leader with a heart than a leader with a title.” —Craig Groeschel
- “Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’” —Brian Tracy
- “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” —Leonardo da Vinci
Remote Work Motivational Quotes To Stay Focused And Productive
The workday can drag on when it feels like you’re on your own. These motivational quotes for remote work will help you stay on track. Never forget you’re part of a bigger team and a vision.
- “Work hard, stay positive, and get up early. It’s the best part of the day.” —George Allen
- “On a team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.” —Bill Belichick
- “The busier you are, the more intentional you must be.” —Michael Hyatt
- “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” —Tim Ferriss
- “Either you run the day, or the day runs you.” —Jim Rohn
- “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.” —Marie Forleo
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” —Mark Twain
- “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” —Phil Jackson
- “When you need to innovate, you need collaboration.” —Marissa Mayer
- “Communication builds trust. Trust generates commitment. Commitment fosters teamwork. Teamwork delivers results.” —Jon Gordon
Short Phrases To Stay Inspired On The Job
These inspirational work phrases are short and sweet. Keep them close for when you need a little motivational pick-me-up during your workday.
- “Alone, we can do so little. Together, we can do so much.” —Helen Keller
- “The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.” —Harry Lewis Golden
- “A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck to the job.” —Michael Larsen
- “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” —Sir Winston Churchill
- “You must always be willing to work without applause.” —Ernest Hemingway
- “Be a voice, not an echo.” —Albert Einstein
- “You will never win if you never begin.” —Helen Rowland
- “Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun.” —George Scialabba
- “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” —Joe Ricketts
- “Always deliver more than expected.” —Larry Page
- “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.” —Angela Duckworth
- “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” —Suzy Kassem
- “Nothing will work unless you do.” —Maya Angelou
Quotes To Support A Healthy Work-Life Balance
You work to live, but you don’t live to work. These motivational quotes for work will remind you to prioritize a healthy work-life balance. Naturally, you can’t do your best work if you’re not taking care of yourself first.
- “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” —Richard Branson
- “If you work hard on your job you make a living. If you work hard on yourself, you can make a fortune.” —Jim Rohn
- “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” —Stephen R. Covey
- “It’s okay to say no and to create boundaries so that you have that work-life balance and a life that you love.” —Joanna Gott
- “Balance is a feeling derived from being whole and complete; it’s a sense of harmony. It is essential to maintaining quality in life and work.” —Joshua Osenga
- “Next to love, balance is the most important thing.” —John Wooden
- “You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at once.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Life is not all about working, but a perfect balance of creating time to spend with yourself and loved ones.” —Mercy K.
- “Balance is key to everything. What we do, think, say, eat, feel, they all require awareness, and through this awareness, we can grow.” —Koi Fresco
- “Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.” —Hillary Rodham Clinton
- “If we want to live a wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth.” —Brené Brown
- “A true balance between work and life comes with knowing that your life activities are integrated, not separated.” —Michael Thomas Sunnarborg
- “In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed.” —Sid Caesar
- “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” —Stephen Covey
- “We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to-do’ list.” —Michelle Obama
- “Balance is not something you find; it’s something you create.” —Jana Kingsford
- “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” —Dolly Parton
Best Motivational Quotes For Your Workday
Channel these top motivational quotes to succeed in your workday and career. Part of success is staying humble and ready to learn. There is always room to improve and that takes motivation and persistence. After all, work motivation is important no matter what field you’re in or what your workday holds.
- “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” —Sir Winston Churchill
- “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” —Robert H. Schuller
- “My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” —Charles Dickens
- “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For passion will lead you right into your purpose.” —T.D. Jakes
- “If you find something you’re passionate about, Monday will be your favorite day of the week.” —Jan Almasy
- “The most efficient way to do it is to do it.” —Amelia Earhart
- “Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic.” —Robin Sharma
- “Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” —Joshua J. Marine
- “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” —Albert Einstein
- “Work is doing it. Discipline is doing it every day. Diligence is doing it well every day.” —Dave Ramsey
- “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” —Zig Ziglar
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” —Steve Jobs
- “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” —Nora Roberts
- “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” —Jim Ryun
- “Be humble, be hungry, and always be the hardest worker in the room.” —Dwayne Johnson
- “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall
- “Work hard in silence. Let your success be your noise.” —Frank Ocean
- “When you set out to accomplish something, recognize that slow, steady progress over time can lead to big success.” —Erica Hudson
- “The key to success is to start before you are ready.” —Marie Forleo
- “Professionalism is not about what work you do; it is about how well you do the work.” —Amit Kalantri
- “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot
- “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” —Sam Levenson
Start With Motivation, End With Success
It can be hard to visualize your success when you’re feeling unmotivated or discouraged at work. Fortunately, positive words are a powerful motivator. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of wisdom and encouragement to put you back on track. Let these motivational work quotes inspire you to do your best work, stay creative and make a difference daily.
If you’re feeling motivated, remember that successful people share success and lift others up. Share your favorite inspirational work quotes and sayings with your co-workers or employees to foster collaboration and teamwork. These are where the real differences are made and true success is achieved.
Photo by fizkes/Shutterstock
