The Value of a Work Ethic - 10 Great Quotes

What kind of work do you do? Whatever it is, much depends on your willingness to work your buns off when it counts.

It‘s amazing what you can get done when you push yourself to your limits. And that‘s exactly what you sometimes need to do. But will you? Sometimes success depends on your willingness to move faster, devote more personal energy and work longer hours.

Yet, when challenges slow your progress, it‘s hard to remember that something good might come from all your hard work. You might wonder whether the results you hope for are worth the physical aches and pains or the mental fatigue that you‘re enduring along the way. It‘s natural to wish you were able to do something that didn‘t drain so much of your personal energy.

At times like this, remind yourself that while hard work might exhaust you, in the long run it‘s how you get what you want.

Almost always, a worthwhile goal requires tremendous effort and commitment. If your goal means that much to you, and if you‘re willing to do the tough stuff and not give up, you have an excellent chance of achieving it. The key is to have a goal you really care about so you give it your best effort even when you're tired.

Remember, you already have within you everything you need to give the required effort. You can concentrate on the challenge before you, no matter how difficult, and give it your best.

A powerful speech to young people about work ethic. Watch it!

The Top 5 life habits of a strong work ethic...

What some really hard workers have to say about effort...

― "Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted." - David Bly, American politician (1952- )

― "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." - Stephen King, American novelist (1947- )

― "Nothing will work unless you do." - John Wooden, American college basketball coach (1910-2010)

― "You just don't luck into things. You build them step by step, whether it's friendships or opportunities." - Barbara Bush, American first lady (1925- ) 

― "Without labor nothing prospers." - Sophocles, Greek playwright (B.C. 496-406)

― "Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you." - Arnold Palmer, American professional golfer (1929- )

― "Fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds‘ worth of distance run." - Rudyard Kipling, British novelist (1865-1936)

― "The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day." - Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player (1961- )

― "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory." - Mohandas Gandhi, Indian religious leader (1869-1948)

― "The world belongs to the energetic." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher (1803-1882)

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength . (Permission to use photo purchased from istockphoto.com)