181 Courageous Hard Work Quotes for a Powerhouse Team in 2025
Empowering your team with hard work quotes is a great way to boost employee morale. Boost their spirits for the busy work season or guide them if they're going through some major changes with hard work quotes that inspire them to be their best selves at the office.
Fast Company mentions that hard work quotes can influence people’s beliefs through motivational psychology. How a quote is structured can also play a factor in how the phrase guides your team. From elaborate meanderings to short bursts of wisdom, we’ve put together a list of some of the most powerful hard work quotes to drive your team.
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- Funny Hard Work Quotes
- Hard Work Pays Off Quotes
- Quotes on Hard Work and Success
- Positive Attitude Hard Work Quotes
- Hard Work Quotes for Students
Funny Hard Work Quotes
Entertain your team with funny hard work quotes. Whether you’re leading a meeting or finding a way to motivate your colleagues on a Monday morning, funny hard work quotes provide an excellent opportunity to boost morale and create an engaging work environment. Who doesn't need a good laugh when the Monday blues kick in?
1. “If you take out the team in teamwork, it’s just work. Now who wants that?” - Matthew Woodring Stover
2. “None of us is as smart as all of us.” - Ken Blanchard
3. “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” - Indira Gandhi
4. “The opposite of courage is not cowardice, it’s conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.” - Jim Hightower
5. “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.” - Halford E. Luccock
6. “If you laugh together, you can work together.” - Robert Orben
7. "This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. Instead of calling it work, realize it is play." - Alan Watts
8. "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing — that's why we recommend it daily.” - Zig Ziglar
9. "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get." - Ray Kroc
10. "If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock." - Claude MacDonald
11. “Never confuse movement with action.” - Ernest Hemingway
12. "The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen." - Sarah Brown
13. "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Vince Lombardi
14. "The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs… one step at a time." - Joe Girard
15. "You can't have a million-dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic." - Zig Ziglar
16. "There's no lotion or potion that will make sales faster and easier for you — unless your potion is hard work." - Jeffery Gitomer
17. “I think Smithers picked me because of my motivational skills. Everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I’m around.” - Homer Simpson
18. “Going to work for a large company is like getting on a train. Are you going sixty miles an hour or is the train going sixty miles an hour and you’re just sitting still?” - J. Paul Getty
19. “Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed.” - George Burns
20. “Do not underestimate your abilities. That is your boss’s job.” - Unknown
21. “I will always choose a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” - Bill Gates
22. "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers
23. "Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you're donating blood.” - Bill Murray
24. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” - Maya Angelou
25. “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” - Henry David Thoreau
26. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” - Elbert Hubbard
27. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” - Will Rogers
28. "Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit." - George Carlin
29. "Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?" - Edgar Bergen
30. "Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work." - Robert Orben
31. "Delegate your work. Stop spending dollar time on penny jobs." - Mary Kay Ash
32. "I always give 100% at Work: 10% Monday, 23% Tuesday, 40% Wednesday, 22% Thursday, and 5% Friday." - Anonymous
33. “If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers." - Homer Simpson
34. "The problem with doing nothing is that you never know when you’re finished." - Groucho Marx
35. "The reward for good work is more work." - Francesca Elisia
36. "When a person tells you that they got rich through hard work, ask them: 'Whose?'" - Don Marquis
Hard Work Pays Off Quotes
In the midst of a busy work season, it's difficult to be inspired. The days may seem long and the end of the project uncertain, but a few words of wisdom can instantly motivate the team at the end of your daily stand-up. Stimulate your team's spirit with hard work quotes to motivate them through challenging times. It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, and these hard work quotes will give your team a fresh perspective. You can even engrave one of these short hard work quotes on a plaque or wooden sign for thoughtful team gifts.
37. “Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there.” - Virginia Burden
38. “Our destiny is not written for us, it’s written by us.” - Barack Obama
39. “Failure and invention are inseparable twins. To invent you have to experiment, and if you know in advance that it’s going to work, it’s not an experiment.” - Scott Galloway
40. “I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I’m changing the things I cannot accept.” - Angela Davis
41. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” - Henry Ford
42. “Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose.” - G.K. Nielson
43. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they don’t quit.” - Conrad Hilton
44. “Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” - David Rockefeller
45. “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” - Thomas Edison
46. “When you live for a strong purpose, then hard work isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.” - Steve Pavlina
47. “Motivation will always beat mere talent.” - Norman Ralph Augustine
48. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” - Robert Collier
49. “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.” - Louis Pasteur
50. “Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead 20 years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.” Diana Ross
51. “You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” - Wayne Gretzky
52. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” - Arthur Ashe
53. “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” - Tony Robbins
54. “Without hustle, talent will only carry you so far.” - Gary Vaynerchuk
55. “Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” - Og Mandino
56. “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” - Augusta F. Kantra
57. “Work harder than you did yesterday.” - Alex Elle
58. "Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work." - Booker T. Washington
59. "If you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien
60. "I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." - Margaret Thatcher
61. “A lot of hard work is hidden behind nice things.” - Ralph Lauren
62. “Hard work pays off. The harder you work, the more people will notice.” - Sydney Sweeney
63. “Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today.” - Bruce Lee
64. “I’ve learned that anything in life worth having comes from patience and hard work." - Greg Behrendt
65. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” - Kobe Bryant
66. “If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.” - Michael Jordan
67. “Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work. I live by that. You grind hard so you can play hard. At the end of the day, you put all the work in, and eventually it’ll pay off. It could be in a year, it could be in 30 years. Eventually, your hard work will pay off.” - Kevin Hart
68. “There is no magic to achievement. It’s really about hard work, choices, and persistence.” - Michelle Obama
69. “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.” - Michelangelo
70. “I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.” - Ray Bradbury
71. “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” - Steve Jobs
72. “Laziness pays off overnight however hard work pays off throughout your life.”- Ahmed Ali
Quotes on Hard Work and Success
How does a team succeed at work? Communication, grit, and a little light-hearted banter by the water cooler. If you’re looking for motivational quotes for work to empower your team, use a few of these hard work quotes to inspire them to strive for greatness. Success can be a challenging endeavor, but creating an environment of unison and inspiration through some hard work quotes can help them see what’s possible.
73. “The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first.” - Iyanla Vanzant
74. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” - Harry S. Truman
75. “Create an environment where people can take risks. If everything has to be brilliant from the word go, you’re never gonna get off the ground.” - Bono
76. “When employees join executives in truly owning the responsibility for business success, an exciting new sense of teamwork takes hold.” - Punit Renjen
77. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller
78. “Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking ‘What’s in it for me?’” - Brian Tracy
79. “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” - Dwayne Johnson
80. “The only thing standing between you and outrageous success is continuous progress.” - Dan Waldschmidt
81. “Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. Most of all, other people can’t stop you. Only you can stop you.” - Jeffrey Gitomer
82. “The future depends on what you do today.” - Mahatma Gandhi
83. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein
84. “Confidence and hard work are the best medicines to kill the disease called failure. It will make you a successful person.” - Abdul Kalam
85. “I strongly believe if you work hard, whatever you want, it will come to you.” - Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
86. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” - Henry David Thoreau
87. “Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.” - David Bly
88. “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston S. Churchill
89. “Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.” - Frank Ocean
90. “Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success.” - Virat Kohli
91. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” - Oprah Winfrey
92. “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” - Stephen King
93. “To succeed, work hard, never give up and above all, cherish a magnificent obsession.” - Walt Disney
94. “You can’t just will your dreams to come true. You have to work hard. You have to give ’em wings, arms, legs… whatever it takes to make your dreams come true.” - Dolly Parton
95. “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” - Confucius
96. “The road to success is always under construction.” - Lily Tomlin
97. “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” - Bobby Unser
98. “Success is not for the lazy.” - Unknown
99. “There are no elevators to success — you have to take the stairs.” - Unknown
100. “Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.” - Oprah Winfrey
101. “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” - Earl Nightingale
102. “The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.” - John D. Rockefeller
103. “Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” - Coco Chanel
104. “Sometimes, you have to give up. Sometimes, knowing when to give up, when to try something else, is genius. Giving up doesn’t mean stopping. Don’t ever stop.” - Phil Knight
105. “On any given Monday, I am one sale closer and one idea away from being a millionaire.” - Larry D. Turner
106. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” - Muhammad Ali
107. “You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort, and money into training.” - Tom Hopkins
108. “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” - Charles R. Swindoll
Positive Attitude Hard Work Quotes
Encourage your team with positive quotes for work to keep them in the zone. These hard work quotes will inspire them to check in and look at their tasks from a different perspective. Hard work and a positive attitude go hand-in-hand in creating a fun and safe team environment to thrive.
109. “When you hand good people possibility, they do great things.” - Biz Stone
110. “There is no such thing as a self-made person. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.” - George Shinn
111. “It’s better to be alone than in bad company.” - George Washington
112. “Find a group of people who challenge you and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life forever.” - Amy Poehler
113. “We rise by lifting others.” - Robert Ingersol
114. “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” - Mandy Hale
115. “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” - Deepak Chopra
116. “The worst walls are never the ones you find in your way. The worst walls are the ones you put there.” - Ursula K. Le Guin
117. “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think of you.” - John Wooden
118. “We talk a lot about hope, helping and teamwork. Our whole message is that we are powerful together.” - Victoria Osteen
119. “If you’re going to preach dedication, work ethic, teamwork, unselfishness and being part of a team to accomplish a common goal, you have to live it – you can’t just talk about it.” - Chris Mullen
120. "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." - Thomas Jefferson
121. "It's not about money or connections. It's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone." - Mark Cuban
122. "Happiness is the real sense of fulfillment that comes from hard work." - Joseph Roland Barbera
123. "Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us." - Angela Bassett
124. "The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work." - Harry Golden
125. “Nothing will work unless you do.” - Maya Angelou
126. “If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.” - Jack Dixon
127. “Believe in yourself, work hard, work smart and passionately present your best self to the world.” - Hill Harper
128. “To achieve your dreams, work is required. Suffering is optional.” - Jack Canfield
129. “Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.” - Malcolm Gladwell
130. “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” - George Halas
131. “The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” - Steve Jobs
132. “The harder I work the more I live.” - George Bernard Shaw
133. “I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
134. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis
135. “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” - Louisa May Alcott
136. “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” - Muhammad Ali
137. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Nelson Mandela
138. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” - Babe Ruth
139. “The best way out is always through.” - Robert Frost
140. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” - Vince Lombardi
141. “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” - Rikki Rogers
142. “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” - Bob Marley
143. “Success is to wake up each morning and consciously decide that today will be the best day of your life.” - Ken Poirot
144. “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” - Sam Ewing
145. “Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.” - Susan L. Taylor
Hard Work Quotes for Students
Class, study, exams, repeat. Being a student can take its toll on those who don't take the time to pause, refresh and re-inspire. If you're a teacher looking to motivate your students or you're a student wanting an inspirational boost, strive for success with inspiring these hard work quotes. It doesn't matter if you're studying for college or still in high school, hard work quotes can be a powerful way to encourage you as you pursue your academic goals.
146. “Teamwork can build friendships that last a lifetime.” - Natalya Neidhart
147. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” - Pelé
148. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” - Walt Disney
149. “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” - Peter Drucker
150. “Developing a good work ethic is key. Apply yourself at whatever you do, whether you’re a janitor or taking your first summer job, because that work ethic will be reflected in everything you do in life.” - Tyler Perry (Find our pick of the best work ethic quotes for words of conscious understanding.)
151. "All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work." - Calvin Coolidge
152. "Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them." - Ann Landers
153. "There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits." - Michael Phelps
154. "You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day." - Marian Wright Edelman
155. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” - Zig Zigler
156. “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” - Mark Twain
157. “You must tell yourself, 'No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets, I’m going to make it.'” - Les Brown
158. “If you really want something, and really work hard, and take advantage of opportunities, and never give up, you will find a way.” - Jane Goodall
159. “The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest.” - Deepika Padukone
160. “Talent without working hard is nothing.” - Cristiano Ronaldo
161. “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110 percent all the time.” - Don Zimmer
162. “If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn’t anything you can’t do if you want to.” - Jim Henson
163. “Do not fear failure but fear not trying.” - Roy T. Bennett
164. “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X
165. “Teachers can open the door, but you must enter it yourself.” - Chinese Proverb
166. “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited.” - Plutarch
167. “Procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder.” - Mason Cooley
168. “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” - Helen Hayes
169. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” - Beverly Stills
170. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” - Thomas Jefferson
171. “Genius is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration.” - Thomas Edison
172. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Ryun
173. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” - Abraham Lincoln
174. “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” - John C. Maxwell
175. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” - Jimmy Johnson
176. “Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.” - Gordon B. Hinckley
177. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” - John D. Rockefeller
178. “The more you learn, the more you earn.” - Warren Buffett
179. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” - Benjamin Franklin
180. “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” - Abigail Adams
181. “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” - George Washington Carver
From quoting Winston Churchill to Oprah Winfrey, there are plenty of hard work quotes to inspire your team or students. Whether you’re looking to motivate your employees or uplift your work friends, there are tons of brilliant hard work quotes that can inspire someone to push past any challenge and pursue success.
For even more motivating team building activities that inspire, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
