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185 quotes, page 5 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 was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.”
Johann Sebastian Bach, as reported by his first biographer J. N. Forkel (1802)
Hard, steady work is open to everyone. It is the most reliable skill there is.
“Creativity takes courage.”
Attributed to Henri Matisse. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Suggesting a better way to your manager takes nerve. It is worth it.
“Patience is also a form of action.”
Attributed to Auguste Rodin. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Letting the paint dry or the dough prove is part of the job. Waiting well is a skill.
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
English proverb
When the right tool is missing, a safe, clever workaround is a real skill.
“Experience is the best teacher.”
English proverb, from the Latin Experientia docet
Every shift teaches you something. Count your experience as a qualification.
“Every man to his trade.”
English proverb
Respect the electrician, the plumber and the cleaner. Each knows something you do not.
“A good workman is known by his tools.”
English proverb
Clean, well-kept tools tell an employer a lot before you start.
“The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
Attributed to John Ruskin. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Beyond the wage, work builds patience, skill and pride. That stays with you.
“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”
Attributed to William Morris. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Notice the small things on your round: who needs help, what is running low.
“I keep on making what I can't do yet in order to learn to be able to do it.”
Vincent van Gogh, letter to Anthon van Rappard (1885)
Volunteer for the task you have not done before. That is how you learn it.
“The skilled hawk hides its talons.”
Japanese proverb (No aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu)
The best workers rarely boast. Let the work be what people notice.
“With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.”
Chinese proverb
Slow, steady work turns plain beginnings into something fine.
“Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors.”
African proverb
The hard shifts are the ones that teach you most. They count.
“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?”
Henry David Thoreau, letter to H. G. O. Blake (1857)
Being busy is not the same as doing good work. Check you are busy on the right things.
“Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for.”
Peter Drucker, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1985)
Quality is judged by the person receiving it. Ask what they actually need.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
Attributed to Albert Einstein. A paraphrase of a 1933 lecture; the short form appears later.
Simplify the job, but do not cut corners that matter for safety.
“Learning never exhausts the mind.”
Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Pick up one new skill a year: a ticket, a recipe, a system. It keeps work interesting.
“They do not preach that their God will rouse them a little before the nuts work loose.”
Rudyard Kipling, The Sons of Martha (1907). A poem honouring engineers and those who do the practical work.
Do the checks yourself rather than hoping. Engineers and drivers know the walk-round matters.
“Practice is the best of all instructors.”
Publilius Syrus, Sentences
Training starts you off, practice finishes you. Take every chance to do the job.
“It is a bad plan that admits of no modification.”
Publilius Syrus, Sentences
When the route is blocked or the delivery late, adapt. Good workers flex.
“From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.”
Publilius Syrus, Sentences
Read the incident reports. Learn from near misses so they never happen to you.
“One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.”
Sophocles, Trachiniae
You think you can back the lorry onto that bay. Practise it before the day you need to.
“Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.”
Horace, Satires 1.9
There are no shortcuts to a good trade. The work is the way.
“Skill to do comes of doing.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Old Age (1862)
You get good at a job by doing it. Ask for more shifts on the tasks you find hard.
“Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness.”
Thomas Henry Huxley, as widely quoted
You do not need to be the cleverest. Steady and dogged wins most jobs.
“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.”
Thomas Henry Huxley, Technical Education (1877)
Do the tidy-up, the paperwork, the safety check, even when you would rather not.
“You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.”
English proverb, from the French
Learning a new skill means some mess at first. Clear it up and keep going.
“Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
English proverb
Agree who is in charge of each job. Clear roles stop crossed wires on busy shifts.
“Everything gives way to experiment.”
Josiah Wedgwood, potter, his motto
Try a small change and see if it helps. Testing beats arguing.
“Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
Attributed to Sir Henry Royce, engineer. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Look at the best practice in your workplace and ask how it could be better still.
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