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185 quotes, page 3 of 7Pride in the job
For anybody who does it properly when nobody is watching: the tidy load, the clean weld, the bed made right. Craft is a habit, not a job title.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“I've had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I've cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone.”
Zhuangzi, Cook Ding (trans. Burton Watson)
Skill means less wear on you and your kit. Look after both and they last for years.
“From one thing, know ten thousand things.”
Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings (1645)
Master one job properly and you will understand the whole operation better.
“Do nothing which is of no use.”
Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings (1645), one of his nine rules (trans. Victor Harris)
Cut the wasted steps: the double handling, the extra walk, the form nobody reads.
“If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”
John Wooden, as widely quoted
Doing it properly the first time is the fastest way. Rework eats the whole afternoon.
“It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
John Wooden, as widely quoted
He taught his players to put their socks on properly to avoid blisters. Small habits keep you going.
“The harder I practise, the luckier I get.”
Attributed to Gary Player, golfer. Similar lines are credited to several golfers and to others before them.
Luck at interviews often comes from having practised the answers out loud.
“How can I provide for this right thing to be always done?”
Florence Nightingale, Notes on Nursing (1859). She asks those in charge to think not how to do the right thing themselves, but how to make sure it is always done.
Team leaders: build checklists and habits so good care happens even on your day off.
“What I cannot create, I do not understand.”
Richard Feynman, written on his blackboard at his death (1988)
Watching is not knowing. Ask to have a go yourself, under supervision.
“It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.”
Attributed to W. Edwards Deming. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Effort without training goes nowhere. Learn the method, then put your back into it.
“Quality is free.”
Philip B. Crosby, the title of his book (1979). His point: doing it right costs less than fixing mistakes.
Every returned parcel and remade dish costs money. Getting it right first time pays for itself.
“Having no problems is the biggest problem of all.”
Attributed to Taiichi Ohno, Toyota production engineer. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
If nobody ever raises an issue, nobody is looking. Speak up about the small faults.
“There's a way to do it better: find it.”
Attributed to Thomas Edison. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Every routine job has a smarter way hiding in it. Keep your eyes open and suggest it.
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
Attributed to Coco Chanel. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
A clean uniform and a tidy station say more than any fancy extras.
“Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.”
Paul Rand, graphic designer, as widely quoted
Making something look easy is hard work. Respect the people who make things simple.
“If you can design one thing, you can design everything.”
Massimo Vignelli, designer, as widely quoted
The care you take with one task is a skill you can carry to any job.
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
Steve Jobs, The New York Times Magazine (2003)
A display that looks good but is hard to restock is not good design. Think about the person using it.
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
Steve Jobs, BusinessWeek (2006)
Ten careful applications beat a hundred rushed ones. Tailor each to the job.
“Originality consists of returning to the origin.”
Attributed to Antoni Gaudí. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
When a fancy fix fails, go back to basics. The fundamentals rarely let you down.
“To business that we love we rise betime, and go to't with delight.”
William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (Act 4, Scene 4). Betime means early.
Find work you care about and early starts become easier. It is worth looking for.
“Striving to better, oft we mar what's well.”
William Shakespeare, King Lear (Act 1, Scene 4)
Know when a job is done. Fiddling with finished work can spoil it.
“Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws makes that and th' action fine.”
George Herbert, The Elixir (1633)
Cleaning done with care is honourable work. The attitude you bring makes the job fine.
“It is in limitation that the master first shows himself.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Natur und Kunst (1800). German: In der Beschrankung zeigt sich erst der Meister.
Short-staffed, small budget, old kit: that is when real skill shows.
“No day without a line.”
Latin saying (Nulla dies sine linea), from Pliny the Elder on the painter Apelles
Do a little every day: one more page of the course, one more practice run.
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
Attributed to Anton Chekhov. A summary of advice in his letters, not his exact words.
On your CV, do not just say you are reliable. Show it: years of no missed shifts.
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter; 'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”
Mark Twain, letter to George Bainton (1888)
Clear wording on a care note or a delivery label prevents real mistakes. Choose words with care.
“Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”
Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers (2008)
Mastery takes years of steady practice. Every shift is hours in the bank.
“Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake.”
Richard Sennett, The Craftsman (2008)
Wanting to do it well is natural. Let yourself enjoy a job done right.
“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)
Every job you do also works on you: your patience, your skill, your standards.
“The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)
Start with your own standards. A team improves one person at a time.
“Each flitch, each board, each plank can have only one ideal use.”
George Nakashima, The Soul of a Tree (1981). A flitch is a slab sawn from a log.
Each person on a team has a best use too. Good leaders find it.
Other sections
- Work and keeping going (559)
- Stoic calm (316)
- An open mind (366)
- Starting a business (299)
- For leaders (218)
- Working with people (214)
- Mindset and habits (339)
- Safety and health (219)
- Starting again (210)
- Pride in the job (185)
- True stories of people who started small