--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's better to work for what you have…" description: "\"It's better to work for what you have than have it handed to you, because you respect it more knowing that you had to work to get it.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg" --- # It's better to work for what you have than have it handed… ![“It's better to work for what you have than have it handed to you, because you respect it more knowing that you had to work to get it.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg) > “It's better to work for what you have than have it handed to you, because you respect it more knowing that you had to work to get it.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Earning achievements through effort fosters respect and value appreciation. **In simple terms:** Work for what you have to respect it. Key Takeaway Earn before you expect. Themes effort respect value Mood motivational realistic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - career building - education - entrepreneurship - personal finance Key Concepts self‑improvement economics ethics Questions to Reflect On - How does effort relate to success? - When is assistance appropriate? A Different Perspective May ignore systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-work/) [Handed Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handed-respect-432816/) [Knowing Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-work-1074638/) [Respect Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-knowing-2101713/) [Work Handed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-handed-4620961/) ## Related quotes > [My mother had handed down respect for the possibilities...and the will to grasp them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-had-handed-down-respect-for-the-possibilities-and-the-will/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Loving someone means youll wait for them, but you need to respect yourself too, by knowing if or when it's time to walk away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/loving-someone-means-youll-wait-for-them-but-you-need-to-respect/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [People respect power, and it comes in many forms, Krav Maga is power, and people will respect you for knowing it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imi-lichtenfeld/people-respect-power-and-it-comes-in-many-forms-krav-maga-is-power/) [Imi Lichtenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imi-lichtenfeld/) > [What matters is working with a few close friends, people you respect, knowing that if times did turn bad these people would hold together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/what-matters-is-working-with-a-few-close-friends-people-you-respect/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [But then, how could you have any self-respect knowing that you didn't believe in anything exactly? How did you embrace what was yours if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/but-then-how-could-you-have-any-self-respect-knowing-that-you-didn-t/) [Kiran Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/) > [We must wake up knowing we have work to do and go to bed knowing we've done it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/we-must-wake-up-knowing-we-have-work-to-do-and-go-to-bed-knowing-we/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-must-act-knowing-that-our-work-will-be-imperfect/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Why even try knowing that it would never work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bielawa/why-even-try-knowing-that-it-would-never-work-out/) [Justin Bielawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bielawa/) > [I was a student that responded well to knowing what to work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-hahn/i-was-a-student-that-responded-well-to-knowing-what-to-work-on/) [Hilary Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-hahn/) > [I left my marriage knowing I'd have to work. I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ferguson/i-left-my-marriage-knowing-i-d-have-to-work-i-have/) [Sarah Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ferguson/) > [“People ask me, "What’s it feel like, knowing your work will outlive you?" I say—imagine raising a kid. You feed it, teach it, protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-p-gage/people-ask-me-what-s-it-feel-like-knowing-your-work-will-outlive-you/) [R.P. Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-p-gage/) > [The journey from not knowing to knowing was his work. He was selling his desire to learn about a subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/the-journey-from-not-knowing-to-knowing-was-his-work-he-was-selling/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [The secret of greatness is simple: do better work than any other man in your field - and keep on doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-secret-of-greatness-is-simple-do-better-work-than-any-other-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a real kind of fundamental philosophical belief that movies are better if everyone gets paid when they work, and if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/i-have-a-real-kind-of-fundamental-philosophical-belief-that-movies/) [Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/) > [“I like few things better than to have my work read and understood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackwell/i-like-few-things-better-than-to-have-my-work-read-and-understood/) [William Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackwell/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Better Work quotes > [“I like few things better than to have my work read and understood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackwell/i-like-few-things-better-than-to-have-my-work-read-and-understood/) [William Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackwell/) > [I have a real kind of fundamental philosophical belief that movies are better if everyone gets paid when they work, and if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/i-have-a-real-kind-of-fundamental-philosophical-belief-that-movies/) [Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/) > [There is nothing better than work. Work is also play; children know that. Children play earnestly as if it were work. But people grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/there-is-nothing-better-than-work-work-is-also-play-children-know/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [The secret of greatness is simple: do better work than any other man in your field - and keep on doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-secret-of-greatness-is-simple-do-better-work-than-any-other-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If there is the new way, I'll be the first in line. But, it better work this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megadeth/if-there-is-the-new-way-i-ll-be-the-first-in-line-but-it-better-work/) [Megadeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megadeth/) > [The people who do better and better work are people who are never satisfied. Cezanne would say, 'I think I've accomplished something,' but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-galenson/the-people-who-do-better-and-better-work-are-people-who-are-never/) [David Galenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-galenson/) > [“No matter how hard I try, I produce better work when I’m healthier, planned, and my environment is set up correctly.  Yes, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/no-matter-how-hard-i-try-i-produce-better-work-when-i-m-healthier/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [Only you can take care of yourself and only you can push yourself to do better and work harder and make someone believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amyra-dastur/only-you-can-take-care-of-yourself-and-only-you-can-push-yourself-to/) [Amyra Dastur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amyra-dastur/) > [The less seriously you take yourself, the better work you're going to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-beek/the-less-seriously-you-take-yourself-the-better-work-you-re-going-to/) [James Van Der Beek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-beek/) > [I only want to do better work. That's the focus of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-devgan/i-only-want-to-do-better-work-that-s-the-focus-of-my-life/) [Ajay Devgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-devgan/) > [If you want to prove better, then do your work right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanji-paul-arvind/if-you-want-to-prove-better-then-do-your-work-right/) [Sanji-Paul Arvind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanji-paul-arvind/) > [Ultimately, the less I know about what I'm doing, the better the work is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/ultimately-the-less-i-know-about-what-i-m-doing-the-better-the-work-is/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [You're only going to get better when you work hard and you focus on what you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-cano/you-re-only-going-to-get-better-when-you-work-hard-and-you-focus-on/) [Robinson Cano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-cano/) > [“Because the work we’re doing now is better than the work we were doing six months ago. And the work we’ll be doing six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/because-the-work-we-re-doing-now-is-better-than-the-work-we-were/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [Now at 47, 48 I am expected to do ten times better work that I did when I was 24.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-khan/now-at-47-48-i-am-expected-to-do-ten-times-better-work-that-i-did/) [Salman Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-khan/) [Browse all 87 Better Work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's better to work for what you have than have it handed to you, because you respect it more knowing that you had to work to get it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-than-have-it-handed-to-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Better Work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-than-have-it-handed-to-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/anonymous-1_better-work_it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-th_2978532.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's better to work for what you have than have it handed to you, because you respect it more knowing that…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's better to work for what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-than-have-it-handed-to-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-work-for-what-you-have-than-have-it-handed-to-you/#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 } } ] } ```