45+ Best Work Ethic Quotes to Stay Motivated and Inspired

A lot of factors that contribute to a successful career (and life!). And while there’s no denying that talent and luck play a role, they pale in comparison to success’ biggest determining factor: work ethic.

How hard and consistently you’re willing to work will determine how you progress, what you create, and how much success you ultimately find. It’s what determines whether you live up to your potential—and what you’re able to do with that potential, both personally and professionally.

Read more: 40 Michelle Obama Quotes About Finding Your Voice and Achieving Your Goals

But don’t take our word for it. Let’s take a look at what some of the most famous—and successful—minds across history, business, sports, and more have to say about the importance of a strong work ethic:

Work ethic quotes from business icons

1. “I never dreamt of success. I worked for it.” —Estée Lauder

2. “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” —Stephen Covey

3. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.” —Conrad Hilton

4. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” —Vidal Sassoon

5. “Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.” —Coco Chanel

6. “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint—and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” —Oprah Winfrey

7. "Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy." —Robert Half

8. “Do not be embarrassed by your failures. Learn from them and start again.” —Richard Branson

9. "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." —Henry Ford

10. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." —Steve Jobs

11. “No matter how hard you work, someone else is working harder.” —Elon Musk

12. "If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time." —Steve Jobs

13. “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” —Arianna Huffington

Work ethic quotes from historical and political figures

14. "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory." —Mahatma Gandhi

15. “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means.” —Albert Einstein

16. "The best way to predict your future is to create it." —Abraham Lincoln

17. "There is no substitute for hard work." —Thomas Edison

18. "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." —Thomas Jefferson

19. "Without labor, nothing prospers." —Sophocles

20. Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." —Winston Churchill

21. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” —Thomas Edison 

22. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill

23. "Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence." —Colin Powell

24. "I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe."It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." —Margaret Thatcher

25. “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.” —Louis Pasteur

26. “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” —Alexander Graham Bell

27. "I learned the value of hard work by working hard."  —Margaret Mead 

Work ethic quotes from writers

28. "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

29. "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." —Stephen King

30.  “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” —Stephen King

31. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” —Maya Angelou

32. "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." —Robert Collier

33. "I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true—hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice." —Ray Bradbury

34. "Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." —Sam Levenson

35. “Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing.” —William Arthur Ward

36. "The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work." —Harry Golden

37. “Talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.” —Patrick Süskind

38. "People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." —George Bernard Shaw

39. “Genes can’t make you successful if you’re not doing the work. Yes, it’s possible that the ripped trainer at the gym has better genes, but if you haven’t put in the same reps, it’s impossible to say if you have been dealt a better or worse genetic hand. Until you work as hard as those you admire, don’t explain away their success as luck.” —James Clear

40. “My biggest attribute to any success that I have had is hard work. There really is no substitute for working hard.” —Maria Bartiromo

Work ethic quotes from sports figures

41. "The difference between try and triumph is a little 'umph'."  —Marvin Phillips

42. “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” —Arthur Ashe

43. “Everyone talks about age, but it's not about age. It's about work ethic. Winning never gets old.” —Lisa Leslie

44. “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

45. "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." —Tim Notke

46. "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 quotes from motivational speakers

47. “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” —Zig Ziglar

48. “Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them every day, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor.” —Brian Tracy

49. "The infinite player isn't playing to be number one…they're playing to outlast the competition." —Simon Sinek