If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper that did his job well.

I began to realize how simple life could be if one had a regular routine to follow with fixed hours, a fixed salary, and very little original thinking to do.

I am a friend of the workingman, and I would rather be his friend than be one.

Labor disgraces no man; unfortunately, you occasionally find men who disgrace labor.

I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.

A human being must have occupation, if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world.

The most fitting occupation for a civilized man is to do nothing.

One of the saddest things is that the only thing that a man can do for eight hours a day, day after day, is work. You can’t eat eight hours a day, nor drink for eight hours a day, nor make love for eight hours.