Dear Annie: Labor Day inspiration

Editor’s note: Annie is away. This was originally published in 2023.

Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very Happy Labor Day as summer comes to a close and you are enjoying the last of your barbecues and long summer nights. Below is a list of quotes that highlight the importance of hard work, and using your talents and gifts, to benefit yourself and others that I thought you would enjoy reading.

“All happiness depends on courage and work.” – Honore de Balzac

“Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having except as a result of hard work.” – Booker T. Washington

“Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou

“The miracle is not that we do this work but that we are happy to do it.” – Mother Teresa

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“I have a firm belief in the ability and power of women to achieve the things they want to achieve.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” – Thomas Edison

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

“Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.” – Donovan Bailey

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” – Emile Zola

“Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” – Abraham Lincoln

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estee Lauder

“Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.” – Ralph Ransom

“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is the lightning that does the work.” – Mark Twain

“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” – Ovid

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.