12 Inspiring Labor Day Quotes

Ever need an extra push to get yourself to work in the morning? If so, you're not alone, and these 12 inspiring Labor Day quotes will come in pretty handy come Tuesday morning when your alarm goes off (because you'll be taking Monday off if you're lucky). That's right, you might actually wake up feeling motivated to head in to work for the week instead of dreading it with every inch of your being (OK, maybe I'm being a little dramatic... but still).

Your work should inspire you, and if it doesn't, you should seriously consider finding yourself a new job. You want to be both fulfilled and challenged in your workplace, and considering that the average American spends between 23 and 35 percent of his or her life working, it's a real waste of time if you're not feeling both of those things.

As overused as it is, the expression "work hard, play hard" has always been one that I've appreciated. I do think, however, that work and play don't have to be totally exclusive of each other. These quotes will hopefully inspire you in your work ethic and encourage you to take pleasure in your work. Every minute of your life should matter, including the minutes you spend at the office. If not, who knows? Maybe it's time for a career change.

1. "Work isn't to make money; you work to justify life." — Marc Chagall

2. "A mind always employed is always happy. This is the true secret, the grand recipe, for felicity." — Thomas Jefferson

3. "The end of labor is to gain leisure." — Aristotle

4. "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." — Martin Luther King Jr.

5. "Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them." — Joseph Joubert

6. "The concept of dignity of labour took people off the street." ― Sunday Adelaja

7. "He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." ― Francis of Assisi

8. "This is just the beginning of a new era for America's workers." — James P. Hoffa

9. "No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear." ― Greg Kincaid

10. "Without work men are utterly undone." ― Nevil Shute

11. "Dignify and glorify common labor. It is at the bottom of life that we must begin, not at the top." — Booker T. Washington

12. "It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal." — Helen Keller

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