--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The work must be its own reward. I got…" description: "\"The work must be its own reward. I got that early on. And I'm blessed by meeting my own standards of excellence.\" — Al Jarreau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png" --- # The work must be its own reward. I got that early on. And… ![“The work must be its own reward. I got that early on. And I'm blessed by meeting my own standards of excellence.” quote by Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png) > “The work must be its own reward. I got that early on. And I'm blessed by meeting my own standards of excellence.” [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal fulfillment comes from meeting one's own high standards, not external validation. **In simple terms:** Self‑set standards bring true reward. Key Takeaway Focus on personal excellence. Themes self‑improvement excellence intrinsic motivation Mood proud determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - career development - creative projects - skill mastery - personal goals Key Concepts self‑actualization personal standards reward theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you define your own standards? - What does excellence feel like to you? A Different Perspective External praise may be fleeting and unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [The work itself is the reward, and if I choose challenging work, it'll pay me back with interest. At least I'll be interested, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/the-work-itself-is-the-reward-and-if-i-choose-challenging-work-it-ll/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Awards are so unnecessary because I think we get so much out of our work just by doing it. The work is a reward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/awards-are-so-unnecessary-because-i-think-we-get-so-much-out-of-our/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [... it is the work and not the reward that is precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/it-is-the-work-and-not-the-reward-that-is-precious/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [It takes a lot of sacrifice to work for no reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/it-takes-a-lot-of-sacrifice-to-work-for-no-reward/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [If you work, you always get your reward in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalidou-koulibaly/if-you-work-you-always-get-your-reward-in-the-end/) [Kalidou Koulibaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalidou-koulibaly/) > [“What is precious is not the reward but the work. And I wish you to understand that. If you work and study in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/what-is-precious-is-not-the-reward-but-the-work-and-i-wish-you-to/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“When you put the hard work in... reward will come out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/when-you-put-the-hard-work-in-reward-will-come-out/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [Find something to do that you love because then the work itself is always the reward not the recompense. And if you love what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/find-something-to-do-that-you-love-because-then-the-work-itself-is/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > ["I got up early because I wanted to." - Nobody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-got-up-early-because-i-wanted-to-nobody/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [I've had a lot of friends in the business that got out earlier than normal. They tell me they got out too early and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavell-edwards/i-ve-had-a-lot-of-friends-in-the-business-that-got-out-earlier-than/) [LaVell Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavell-edwards/) > [In my early teens, I was a janitor. In high school, I got up early to deliver to accounts that required early service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/in-my-early-teens-i-was-a-janitor-in-high-school-i-got-up-early-to/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Even when I played in club matches, I would take it to heart that I had got out early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/even-when-i-played-in-club-matches-i-would-take-it-to-heart-that-i/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [I got an early education from television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-wilson/i-got-an-early-education-from-television/) [Debra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-wilson/) > [But when I felt like I had something to prove? Then I got up early every morning and worked all day long. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/but-when-i-felt-like-i-had-something-to-prove-then-i-got-up-early/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) > [The day leading up to the Royal Rumble was pretty routine. I got up early, went to the gym, got a good meal in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-spears/the-day-leading-up-to-the-royal-rumble-was-pretty-routine-i-got-up/) [Shawn Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-spears/) ## More by Al Jarreau > [I want to give the audience the whole package, and for me, the whole package is to give them something fresh as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-want-to-give-the-audience-the-whole-package-and-for-me-the-whole/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I'm a Buckeye at heart. I spend more time giving concerts in Ohio than I do in any other state - perhaps more time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-m-a-buckeye-at-heart-i-spend-more-time-giving-concerts-in-ohio-than/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [Let that get you up in the morning and put the light in your eyes. I'm telling you, it makes you a better husband,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/let-that-get-you-up-in-the-morning-and-put-the-light-in-your-eyes-i-m/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I'm an R&B and pop singer as well as a jazzer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-m-an-r-b-and-pop-singer-as-well-as-a-jazzer/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I really do see it as the start of the second half of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-really-do-see-it-as-the-start-of-the-second-half-of-my-career/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [Every day is Thanksgiving.On this stage you're going to hear God and none of them other words, and I ain't going to touch my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/every-day-is-thanksgiving-on-this-stage-you-re-going-to-hear-god-and/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I came along with that crowd of singer-songwriters who were able to make their own statements in such a personal way that it changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-came-along-with-that-crowd-of-singer-songwriters-who-were-able-to/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I think being a little older and a little more determined and being a little more evolved in my case and maturity in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-think-being-a-little-older-and-a-little-more-determined-and-being-a/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [When you do a lyric for 'April in Paris,' those who have heard it before can hear it in a different way now. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/when-you-do-a-lyric-for-april-in-paris-those-who-have-heard-it-before/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I was age six or seven, and singing, "Jesus wants me for her son, beep, to shine for him," and people smiled and pinched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-was-age-six-or-seven-and-singing-jesus-wants-me-for-her-son-beep-to/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I have this image in my head of me in the house I grew up in, and hearing this incredible music on the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-have-this-image-in-my-head-of-me-in-the-house-i-grew-up-in-and/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I sat on the piano bench next to my mother in church. Something happened before I set foot on this planet. I was crawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-sat-on-the-piano-bench-next-to-my-mother-in-church-something/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I'm a little bit nervous for us with all of this electronically generated new hyper-space that we've moved into, where not only people but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-m-a-little-bit-nervous-for-us-with-all-of-this-electronically/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [The Metropole Orchestra is like Count Basie or Duke Ellington with strings... it's strings that swing. Strings that swing like Dizzy Gillespie... keep swinging,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/the-metropole-orchestra-is-like-count-basie-or-duke-ellington-with/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [I came here with something in me that I inherited from my folks. So I'm going to do something called life and times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-came-here-with-something-in-me-that-i-inherited-from-my-folks-so-i/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) [Explore all 90 Al Jarreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) ## More Blessed quotes > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [Literally every person in my life is so amazing. I even don't understand how I am so blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/literally-every-person-in-my-life-is-so-amazing-i-even-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [You know, I'm blessed. 'Blessed' is a better way of saying 'rich.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/you-know-i-m-blessed-blessed-is-a-better-way-of-saying-rich/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I've been blessed to have a body that's durable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-millsap/i-ve-been-blessed-to-have-a-body-that-s-durable/) [Paul Millsap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-millsap/) > [I feel that I'm very blessed. But with great blessings come great responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-feel-that-i-m-very-blessed-but-with-great-blessings-come-great/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/benny-carter-came-up-to-me-and-said-to-me-you-know-in-the-whole/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/the-blood-of-jesus-christ-is-as-blessed-and-divine-a-payment-for-the/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) [Browse all 4,183 Blessed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The work must be its own reward. I got that early on. And I'm blessed by meeting my own standards of excellence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Jarreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-that-early-on-and-i-m-blessed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blessed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-that-early-on-and-i-m-blessed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/120/al-jarreau-7533_blessed_the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-th_1584720.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The work must be its own reward. I got that early on. And I'm blessed by meeting my own standards of…” — Al Jarreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Al Jarreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The work must be its own...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-that-early-on-and-i-m-blessed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/the-work-must-be-its-own-reward-i-got-that-early-on-and-i-m-blessed/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```