Motivational Quotes for Work on Friday, Sourced and Sorted by Use

Motivational quotes for work on Friday are short lines for finishing the week, closing loose ends and heading into the weekend with a clear head. A sourced one that fits most workplaces: “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Theodore Roosevelt said it in a Labor Day speech in Syracuse, New York, on September 7, 1903.

Every quote below has a source, grouped by what you need it for. Several popular “Friday motivation” lines carry names that don’t belong on them, and those are listed near the end.

Quotes for finishing the week strong

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” — Theodore Roosevelt, Labor Day address to the New York State Agricultural Association, Syracuse, September 7, 1903. The speech is the one where he used the phrase “a square deal.”

“Well done is better than well said.” — Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1737.

“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” — Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1736. He reused it in The Way to Wealth in 1758.

“Work is no disgrace: it is idleness which is a disgrace.” — Hesiod, Works and Days, line 311, in Hugh Evelyn-White’s translation. The Greek poet wrote it around 700 BC as advice to his brother, who had been slacking.

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” — Ecclesiastes 9:10, King James Version.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” — Colossians 3:23, New International Version.

“Work is love made visible.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923, from the section “On Work.”

Quotes for wrapping up the week and letting it go

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. The polished wording is a later edit of a letter he wrote to his daughter Ellen in 1854, while she was away at school. The idea is his, and the tidier phrasing came from the people who quoted him.

“Work keeps at bay three great evils: boredom, vice, and need.” — Voltaire, Candide, 1759, Chapter 30. An old Turkish farmer tells it to Candide near the end of the book, just before Candide’s conclusion that “we must cultivate our garden.” Translations vary slightly.

“Lost time is never found again.” — Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1748.

Quotes about rest and the weekend

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” — Ovid, Ars Amatoria, Book 2. The Roman poet was writing about love, but the farming image is the part people keep.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means a waste of time.” — John Lubbock, The Use of Life, 1894. Lubbock was the British banker and politician who introduced the bank holidays still observed in the UK, through the Bank Holidays Act of 1871.

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” — Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married, 1912. It is often credited to Bertrand Russell or John Lennon, but Quote Investigator traced it to her novel.

Short Friday quotes for a team chat or whiteboard

These are unattributed, so you can use them without a credit.

“Close the tabs. Close the week.”

“Finish one thing before five.”

“Done is a good word on a Friday.”

“Leave a note for Monday you.”

“This week counted. Log off.”

“Clear desk, clear weekend.”

Friday work quotes with the wrong name on them

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” It is credited to Winston Churchill on countless Friday posts. The International Churchill Society has found no record of him saying it.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” It is usually credited to Confucius. Quote Investigator found nothing like it in his teachings. The earliest close match it located is from 1982, when a Princeton philosophy professor, Arthur Szathmary, quoted it from an unnamed “old-timer.”

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” It is credited to Thomas Jefferson. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello says there is no evidence he wrote or said it.

“Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done.” Quote sites pin it on Marilyn Monroe and several others. We found no reliable source for any of them, so run it unattributed.

Before you put a famous name on a slide or in a company newsletter, check Quote Investigator or Wikiquote. Our guide to citing a quote from a person covers what to do when the original can’t be found.

How to use Friday quotes at work

One quote at the bottom of a Friday email or team update is enough. A whole block of them reads like filler.

Pair the quote with something concrete, like the week’s finished project or a colleague’s win. The quote sets the tone, and the specific detail is what people remember.

In a school, the Friday quote can go on the staff room whiteboard or in the weekly newsletter. Our teaching quotes are written for that setting, and our email signature quotes for teachers are short enough for a sign-off.

After a hard week, swap motivation for something steadier. Our tough times quotes fit better when the team is tired rather than idle.

The “thank God it’s Friday” feeling is old enough to have its own brand. The restaurant chain TGI Fridays took its name from the phrase when it opened in New York City in 1965.

FAQ

What is a good Friday motivational quote for work?

Theodore Roosevelt’s “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing” is sourced and fits almost any job. For something lighter, use Franklin’s “Well done is better than well said.”

Who said “time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time”?

Marthe Troly-Curtin, in her 1912 novel Phrynette Married. It is often misattributed to Bertrand Russell or John Lennon.

Did Winston Churchill say “success is not final, failure is not fatal”?

There is no record that he did. The International Churchill Society lists it among quotes falsely attributed to him.

Where does the Emerson “finish each day” quote come from?

From a letter Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote to his daughter Ellen in 1854. The version on posters is a smoothed-out edit of his original wording.