← Your daily dose of motivation
219 quotes, page 4 of 8Safety, health and getting home in one piece
For the driver at the end of a long shift, the forklift operator and the carer on nights: rest, care and the minute that saves a life. Every job ends with going home.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“Be not solitary, be not idle.”
Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621)
Out of work and feeling low? Volunteer, join a club, see people. Company and purpose help.
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace (1987)
Stuck in traffic and fuming? A few slow breaths before you react.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
Anne Lamott, TED talk (2017)
Switch the work phone off on your day off. You will work better for it.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”
Audre Lorde, A Burst of Light (1988)
Carers especially: looking after yourself is how you keep looking after others.
“Rest before you get tired.”
Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948)
Take the break at the planned time, not when you are already flagging behind the wheel.
“Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”
Thomas Jefferson, A Decalogue of Canons for Observation in Practical Life (1825)
Do your own checks on your own kit. Your safety is your responsibility first.
“Anger is a short madness.”
Horace, Epistles 1.2. Latin: ira furor brevis est.
Road rage makes good drivers do daft things. Let them go and drive your own drive.
“When anger rises, think of the consequences.”
Attributed to Confucius. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Before you snap at a colleague, picture tomorrow's shift together.
“Speed thrills but kills.”
Indian road safety saying
No delivery slot is worth a life. Keep to the limit.
“Tiredness can kill. Take a break.”
UK motorway sign
If you are yawning and your eyes feel heavy, the next services is your stop. No arguing.
“Only a fool breaks the two-second rule.”
UK motorway safety saying
In the wet, double it. A lorry needs far more room to stop than a car.
“Mirror, signal, manoeuvre.”
The Highway Code
The basics never go out of date. Check your mirrors every single time.
“See it. Say it. Sorted.”
British Transport Police campaign (2016)
Spot a hazard at work? Report it. Speaking up keeps everyone safe.
“Catch it, bin it, kill it.”
NHS hygiene campaign (2009)
In kitchens and care homes, tissues and handwashing protect everyone you work with.
“Lift with your legs, not your back.”
Manual handling saying
Feet apart, knees bent, load close. Your spine will thank you in twenty years.
“The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.”
Jonathan Swift, Polite Conversation (1738)
Good food, peace and a laugh: three things to fit into every working week.
“A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.”
Charlotte Brontë, The Professor (1857)
Write tomorrow's worries on a list before bed, then leave them on the list.
“Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore and you sleep alone.”
Anthony Burgess, Inside Mr Enderby (1963)
Heavy snoring and daytime sleepiness can be sleep apnoea. Drivers should get it checked.
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.”
Attributed to Victor Hugo. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Done your shift and done it well? Let the day go and rest.
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
Corrie ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook (1982)
Waiting on a job offer? Do what you can today, then let the rest wait.
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food (2008)
Long shifts go better on real food. Pack fruit and something green.
“Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence.”
Atul Gawande, Better (2007)
Safe sites are built by people who check, every time, without exception.
“Under conditions of complexity, not only are checklists a help, they are required for success.”
Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto (2009)
Use the vehicle check sheet properly. Ticking boxes from memory misses the bald tyre.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Proverb, from a Pembrokeshire saying (1866)
Swap one vending machine snack a day for fruit. Small habits add up.
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste (1826)
Chefs know it: what goes in shows up in energy, mood and focus.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
English proverb, popularised by John Wesley's sermons
Clean kitchens, clean vans, clean hands: half of safety is simply keeping things clean.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”
English proverb
Tools back on the shadow board, stock in its bay. Tidy sites are safe sites.
“Hope is the physician of each misery.”
Irish proverb
A knock back on a job application hurts. Keep hoping, keep applying.
“Time is a great healer.”
English proverb
Hard weeks pass. Be gentle with yourself while they do.
“Be prepared.”
Robert Baden-Powell, Scout motto (1907)
Spare fuses, a hi-vis, water and a phone charger in the cab. Small things, big difference.
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