Category: Quotes

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants.

The question is what are we busy about?”

– Henry David Thoreau

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

– Theodore Roosevelt

I’ve been writing recently about making mistakes. One irrefutable fact about doing awesome things is that sometimes you’ll get it wrong and some people may criticize you for that.

And that’s where the above quote comes in :)

“Work has got to be play or it doesn’t work.”
– Ray Bradbury

From this interview:

Look who’s coming out in favor of happiness at work:

How I wish everyone had decent work! It is essential for human dignity.

– Pope Francis I

Awsome. I especially like how he talks not just about work but “decent work.”

As far as I’m concerned, this is the greatest thing said about happiness by anyone ever:

This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.

I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

George Bernard Shaw

“The corporate world means nothing unless it improves the lives of people and the conditions in poor countries.”
– Dr Haldor Topsøe

From a legendary Danish business leader. More here.

“If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden.

He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.”

– W. Beran Wolfe

The inherent paradox in all search for happiness is this: Seeking happiness for itself tends to be a shallow pursuit. But achieving happiness by doing great work or seeking happiness because it will allow you to do more good for others turns it from a selfish to a noble, meaningful goal. And the exact same thing goes at work.

Also: People who are active are happier! According to a new study, “People who stay busy with tasks tend to be happier than idle folks”.