The new year is a neatly appropriate time to start something great.

Of course, no greatness comes without hard work, so why not set up your mind and take a look at some wise hard work motivational quotes for work?

These quotes have helped many and they will definitely lighten up your mood and direct you towards success which is nearly impossible without hard work.

1. Work, love, and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being. — Orison Swett Marden, American inspirational author

2. Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. — Paul J. Meyer, American author and founder of the Success Motivation Institute Inc.

3. Don’t be busy, be productive. — Unknown

4. Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose. — Unknown

5. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. — Unknown

6. Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams. — Donovan Bailey, Jamaican-Canadian sprinter

7. The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must all pay for success. — Vince Lombardi, American football coach in the National Football League

8. It always seems impossible until it’s done. — Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary

9. Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy. — Robert Half, a pioneer in the employment field in the USA

10. There is no substitute for hard work. — Thomas A. Edison, American inventor, and businessman

11. Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, American lecturer, poet, and essayist

12. I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it. — Estée Lauder, American businesswoman

13. Work is no disgrace; the disgrace is idleness. — Greek proverb

14. No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. — Martin Luther King, Jr., American Baptist minister, and activist

15. It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things. — Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States

16. Though you can love what you do not master, you cannot master what you do not love. — Mokokoma Mokhonoana, a social critic

17. The supreme accomplishment is to blur the lines between work and play. — Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian

18. A man is not paid for having a head and hands, but for using them. — Elbert Hubbard, American writer

19. Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. — Ovid, Roman poet

20. Before the reward, there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy. — Ralph Ransom, American artist

21. Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. — Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer

22. Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile. — Gary Ryan Blair, American motivational author

23. Talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything. — Patrick Suskind, German writer

24. Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. — Conrad Hilton, American businessman

26. This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it ‘work’, realize it is ‘play’. — Alan Wilson Watts, English philosopher, writer, and speaker
27. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. — Mark Twain, American writer
28. Once you have commitment, you need discipline and hard work to get you there. — Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian athlete

28. The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. — Harry Golden, American editor, and publisher

29. No human masterpiece has been created without great labor. — Andre Gide, French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

30. All wealth is the product of labor. — John Locke, English philosopher, and physician

31. Genius begins great works. Labor alone finishes them. — Joseph Joubert, French moralist and essayist

32. I learned the value of hard work by working hard. — Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist

33. Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work. — Ralph Marston, American motivational author

34. Imagine working 20 percent smarter instead of 20 percent longer… Work-life balance and startup success at any stage aren’t mutually exclusive. There are enough hours in the day to be effective and present. — David Cummings, American businessman

35. A lot of hard work is hidden behind nice things. — Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer

36. Concentrate on your job and you will forget your other troubles. — William Feather, American publisher, and author

37. Work isn’t to make money; you work to justify life. — Marc Chagall, Russian-French artist

38. 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, American puppeteer, animator, and screenwriter

39. Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it. — Madeleine L’Engle, American writer

40. We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work. — Thomas A. Edison, American inventor, and businessman

41. Make your work to be in keeping with your purpose. — Leonardo da Vinci, Italian polymath of the High Renaissance

42. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. — Dale Carnegie, American writer, and lecturer

43. You will never plough a field if you only turn it over in your mind. — Irish proverb

44. There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither. — Alan Cohen, American inspirational author

45. I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. — Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States

46. Work is not man’s punishment. It is his reward and his strength, and his pleasure. — George Sand, French writer

47. Never work just for money or for power. They won’t save your soul or help you sleep at night. — Marian Wright Edelman, American activist for children’s rights

48. The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, productivity. You can be, too. — Norman Vincent Peale, American minister, and author

49. Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work. — Stephen King, American writer

50. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. — Steve Jobs, American business magnate

About Michael Yardney
Michael is the founder of Metropole Property Strategists who help their clients grow, protect and pass on their wealth through independent, unbiased property advice and advocacy. He’s once again been voted Australia’s leading property investment adviser and one of Australia’s 50 most influential Thought Leaders. His opinions are regularly featured in the media.