← Your daily dose of motivation
189 quotes, page 3 of 7For everybody: work, effort and keeping going
Lines for the early start, the long shift and the tenth application with no reply.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“Lost time is never found again.”
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1748)
Late once is forgiven. Late every week is remembered.
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1736)
The lucky break usually goes to the person already known for turning up.
“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
Benjamin Franklin, as widely quoted
Follow up the application after a week. Most people never do.
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”
Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery (1901)
A first job at 40, a new start after prison, a career after the forces: the distance travelled is what counts.
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”
Booker T. Washington, as widely quoted
Anyone can deliver a parcel. The driver who texts when the gate is locked gets the good reviews.
“Nothing will work unless you do.”
Maya Angelou, as widely quoted
The best job board in the country still needs you to press apply.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.”
Helen Keller, Optimism (1903)
Apply as if you will get it. It changes how the application reads.
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living (1960)
The first presentation, the first time leading the shift, the first night run. Then it is just Tuesday.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. Printed as hers from 1935; it has never been found in her own writing.
A rude interviewer says more about the company than about you.
“It always seems impossible until it's done.”
Attributed to Nelson Mandela. Widely credited to him; no speech or writing of his has been found with it.
The first week in a new trade always feels impossible. Week six feels normal.
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
Desmond Tutu
Long search? Keep one door open each day. One of them opens.
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Jane Goodall
Carers, cleaners, porters, drivers: the country runs on people who decided to make that difference.
“It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.”
Colin Powell, the first of his 13 rules (1989)
Bad shift? Sleep before you send the angry email.
“We become what we think about.”
Earl Nightingale, The Strangest Secret (1956)
Think like the team leader you want to be, and act like it, months before the title.
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
Attributed to Earl Nightingale. Widely credited to him; we could not trace the recording.
Two years to qualify sounds long. In two years you will be two years older either way.
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
Norman Vincent Peale
"I can't get a job" becomes "I haven't found the right one yet". It changes what you do next.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”
Often attributed to Norman Vincent Peale. Also credited to Les Brown; neither has a clear source.
Apply for the job one step above. You may land the one just below it.
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”
Les Brown
The worst they can say is no. The second worst is nothing at all, and that is the same as not applying.
“It's not about the goal. It's about growing to become the person that can accomplish that goal.”
Tony Robbins
The job is the target. The habits you build chasing it are what you keep.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The hard months out of work teach things no easy job ever will.
“I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan, Nike advert "Failure" (1997)
Twenty rejections is not a record of failure. It is a record of trying.
“Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
Muhammad Ali. From his own account of hating training and doing it anyway.
The course in the evenings, the early starts. Hard now, worth it for years.
“Don't count the days; make the days count.”
Often attributed to Muhammad Ali. Widely credited to him; no recorded source has been found.
Waiting for a start date? Use the weeks to learn something the new job will need.
“A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”
Serena Williams
Dropped a pallet, missed a drop, lost the sale. Own it, fix it, move on.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement address (2005)
Not everyone loves the job, but most people can find the part of it they are proud of. Start there.
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement address (2005). He was quoting the farewell message of the Whole Earth Catalog (1974).
Keep learning in the job you have, and keep an eye on the job you want.
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”
Attributed to Henry Ford. No source in his own writing has been found.
The strap checked twice on an empty road is what a professional driver is.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Attributed to Walt Disney. Widely credited to him; we could not trace it to a recording or a letter.
Stop planning the perfect CV. Send a good one today and improve it tomorrow.
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
Attributed to Thomas Edison. Versions were printed in the 1910s, with the number changing each time.
Each no tells you something. Change one thing and try again.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Often attributed to Thomas Edison. There is no reliable source for it; it was printed as his long after his death.
The entry-level job nobody wants is often the fastest way in.
Other sections
- Work and keeping going (189)
- Starting a business (152)
- For leaders (41)
- Working with people (22)
- Mindset and habits (144)
- True stories of people who started small