Holidays & Occasions Labor Day 20 Happy Labor Day Quotes A day to celebrate and honor the value of hard work. By Southern Living Editors Updated on January 20, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Tom Baker / EyeEm/Getty Images Labor Day is a day we dedicate to our constant go-getters and valuable hard workers. This holiday is most often celebrated with a backyard BBQ, a quick beach trip, or a neighborhood gathering. This significant day does a lot more than pay tribute to our American achievements. We reflect on our journey and celebrate the contributions of our working nation and the resilience of American workers. Even though this holiday quietly marks the end of summer, we must revel in our delightful memories and look towards the horizon of what's to come. Labor Day stirs up the opportunity for us to think about our dreams and aspirations regarding our future. As we rest and reset for the rest of the year, seek happiness in a job well done and become inspired by these words of wisdom. Labor Day Quotes: 01 of 20 Maya Angelou Southern Living "Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it." — Maya Angelou 02 of 20 Donovan Bailey Southern Living "Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don't let anyone limit your dreams." — Donovan Bailey 03 of 20 Booker T. Washington Southern Living "Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having except as a result of hard work." — Booker T. Washington 04 of 20 Stephen King Southern Living "Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work." — Stephen King 05 of 20 Michelle Obama "Just try new things. Don't be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?" — Michelle Obama 06 of 20 Martin Luther King, Jr. Southern Living "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity." — Martin Luther King, Jr. 07 of 20 Thomas A. Edison Southern Living "There is no substitute for hard work." — Thomas A. Edison 08 of 20 John Locke Southern Living "It is labor indeed that puts the difference on everything." — John Locke 09 of 20 Sophocles Southern Living "Without labor nothing prospers." — Sophocles 10 of 20 Theodore Roosevelt "It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things." — Theodore Roosevelt 11 of 20 Aristotle Southern Living "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." — Aristotle 12 of 20 Margaret Mead "I learned the value of hard work by working hard." — Margaret Mead 13 of 20 Ralph Waldo Emerson Southern Living "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 14 of 20 Babe Ruth "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." — Babe Ruth 15 of 20 Maria Bartiromo "I think that my biggest attribute to any success that I have had is hard work. There really is no substitute for working hard." —Maria Bartiromo 16 of 20 H. Jackson Brown, Jr. "Life doesn't require that we be the best, only that we try our best." —H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 17 of 20 Ralph Ransom "Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy." — Ralph Ransom 18 of 20 John C. Maxwell "Dreams don't work unless you do." — John C. Maxwell 19 of 20 Oprah Winfrey "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 20 of 20 Mahatma Gandhi Southern Living "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." — Mahatma Gandhi WATCH: The Best Vacation Spots In Every Southern State Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit