---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is important to go into work you would…"
description: "\"It is important to go into work you would like to do. Then it doesn't seem like work. You sometimes feel it's almost too good to be true that someone w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg"
---

#  It is important to go into work you would like to do. Then…

![“It is important to go into work you would like to do. Then it doesn't seem like work. You sometimes feel it's almost too good to be true that someone will pay you for enjoying yourself. I've been very fortunate that my work led to useful drugs for a variety of serious illnesses. The thrill of…” quote by Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg)

> “It is important to go into work you would like to do. Then it doesn't seem like work. You sometimes feel it's almost too good to be true that someone will pay you for enjoying yourself. I've been very fortunate that my work led to useful drugs for a variety of serious illnesses. The thrill of seeing people get well who might otherwise have died of diseases like leukemia, kidney failure, and herpes virus encephalitis cannot be described in words.”

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Finding work you love makes it feel like a calling rather than a job, especially when it benefits others.

**In simple terms:** Love your work, help others.

Key Takeaway

Pursue purpose‑driven careers.

Themes

purpose fulassion impact career fulfillment

Mood

inspired hopeful

Type

motivational reflective

When to use this quote

- drug development
- patient care
- career counseling
- personal fulfillment

Key Concepts

pharmacology ethics humanitarianism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you align your skills with meaningful impact?
- What barriers exist to finding purpose in work?

A Different Perspective

Success may depend on rare opportunities and resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Enjoying Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoying-yourself/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Get well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-well/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Leukemia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leukemia/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Serious illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious-illness/) [Thrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrill/) [Too good to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-good-to-be-true/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) [Viruses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viruses/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [I've been fortunate enough to work with lots of really good players, so it would be disrespectful to single out the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/i-ve-been-fortunate-enough-to-work-with-lots-of-really-good-players/)

[Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/)

> [I've been very, very fortunate. I never had to work for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-ve-been-very-very-fortunate-i-never-had-to-work-for-a-living/)

[Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/)

> [I've been fortunate to work with some amazing Asian filmmakers in independent film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jeong/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-work-with-some-amazing-asian-filmmakers-in/)

[Ken Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jeong/)

> [I was fortunate to work a lot, and I worked hard, and I was very devoted to that, and then I earned this jewel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/i-was-fortunate-to-work-a-lot-and-i-worked-hard-and-i-was-very/)

[Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/)

> [In recent years, I've been writing because I'm fortunate enough to work in the world of food television, to travel and taste and learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-allen/in-recent-years-i-ve-been-writing-because-i-m-fortunate-enough-to/)

[Ted Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-allen/)

> [Movies, they take years of my life, so I'm fortunate that I get to work in a lot of different mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/movies-they-take-years-of-my-life-so-i-m-fortunate-that-i-get-to-work/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [I'm really fortunate that I get to work with amazing partners that thankfully want to work with me because of what I stand for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/i-m-really-fortunate-that-i-get-to-work-with-amazing-partners-that/)

[Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/)

> [Unlike the common belief that Bollywood is just about hardcore professionals who know nothing but business, I have been fortunate to work with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rimi-sen/unlike-the-common-belief-that-bollywood-is-just-about-hardcore/)

[Rimi Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rimi-sen/)

> [I've been very fortunate to work with people that I'm fans of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-roberson/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-to-work-with-people-that-i-m-fans-of/)

[Eric Roberson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-roberson/)

> [I've been very fortunate in the work I've been getting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samara-weaving/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-in-the-work-i-ve-been-getting/)

[Samara Weaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samara-weaving/)

> [I've been fortunate to work with several actors and directors who I look up to, and learned from each of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-work-with-several-actors-and-directors-who-i/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

> [I've been very fortunate to work for great people - so even when the political process gets ugly, I find inspiration in the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-cutter/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-to-work-for-great-people-so-even-when-the/)

[Stephanie Cutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-cutter/)

> [I was fortunate to work with some very powerful producers like Tom Miller and Bob Boyett.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaleel-white/i-was-fortunate-to-work-with-some-very-powerful-producers-like-tom/)

[Jaleel White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaleel-white/)

> [I've been fortunate to work since I was 20 and I've always strived to be a part of good independent British cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-dickinson/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-work-since-i-was-20-and-i-ve-always-strived-to/)

[Harris Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-dickinson/)

> [I have been fortunate to work with some great people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/i-have-been-fortunate-to-work-with-some-great-people/)

[Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/)

## More by Gertrude B. Elion

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [I had no specific bent towards science until my grandfather, who died - that summer - of stomach cancer. ... I decided that nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/i-had-no-specific-bent-towards-science-until-my-grandfather-who-died/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [I think it's a very valuable thing for a doctor to learn how to do research, to learn how to approach research, something there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/i-think-it-s-a-very-valuable-thing-for-a-doctor-to-learn-how-to-do/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [The Nobel Prize is fine, but the drugs I've developed are rewards in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/the-nobel-prize-is-fine-but-the-drugs-i-ve-developed-are-rewards-in/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [I had no specific bent toward science until my grandfather died of stomach cancer. I decided that nobody should suffer that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/i-had-no-specific-bent-toward-science-until-my-grandfather-died-of/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [I had fallen in love with a young man..., and we were planning to get married. And then he died of subacute bacterial endocarditis...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/i-had-fallen-in-love-with-a-young-man-and-we-were-planning-to-get/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [That was the turning point. It was as though the signal was there, 'This is the disease you're going to have to work against.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/that-was-the-turning-point-it-was-as-though-the-signal-was-there-this/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Maybe I was young and 'cute' (after all, I was only twenty then), but I've learned over the years that when you put white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/maybe-i-was-young-and-cute-after-all-i-was-only-twenty-then-but-i-ve/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Nobody . . . took me seriously. They wondered why in the world I wanted to be a chemist when no women were doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/nobody-took-me-seriously-they-wondered-why-in-the-world-i-wanted-to/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [ People ask me often \[whether\] the Nobel Prize \[was\] the thing you were aiming for all your life, and I say that would be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/people-ask-me-often-whether-the-nobel-prize-was-the-thing-you-were/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

[Explore all 11 Gertrude B. Elion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

## More Being true quotes

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Intuitionists think that there are cases in which, say, some identity statement between real numbers is neither true nor false, even though we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-f-heck/intuitionists-think-that-there-are-cases-in-which-say-some-identity/)

[Richard F. Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-f-heck/)

> [Don't be pretentious is my first advice to young writers. This is the big problem - just because you're getting an MFA doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/don-t-be-pretentious-is-my-first-advice-to-young-writers-this-is-the/)

[Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/)

> [There is no normal. I've never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [I learned a tremendous amount about what was important to me as a head coach in that I was not in charge. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/i-learned-a-tremendous-amount-about-what-was-important-to-me-as-a/)

[Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/)

> [Life is all about being true to yourself and what you believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/life-is-all-about-being-true-to-yourself-and-what-you-believe-in/)

[Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/)

> [I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-unlearning-things-that-were-proved-not/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It seemed too good to be true. That's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/it-seemed-too-good-to-be-true-that-s-grace/)

[Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/)

> [You create the happiness and the balance that you have, and your own power. This is one thing that I know to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/you-create-the-happiness-and-the-balance-that-you-have-and-your-own/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [Being true to yourself means living in truth with each person in your life. It means refusing to say or do something that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/being-true-to-yourself-means-living-in-truth-with-each-person-in-your/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [It is not the responsibility of the enlightened teacher to bring the student to enlightenment. That may be true in the classroom, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-the-responsibility-of-the-enlightened-teacher-to-bring-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

Browse all 1,447 Being true quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is important to go into work you would like to do. Then it doesn't seem like work. You sometimes feel it's almost too good to be true that someone will pay you for enjoying yourself. I've been very fortunate that my work led to useful drugs for a variety of serious illnesses. The thrill of seeing people get well who might otherwise have died of diseases like leukemia, kidney failure, and herpes virus encephalitis cannot be described in words.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gertrude B. Elion"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-would-like-to-do-then-it-doesn-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being true"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-would-like-to-do-then-it-doesn-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/gertrude-b-elion-38568_being-true_it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-woul_1050819.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is important to go into work you would like to do. Then it doesn't seem like work. You sometimes feel…” — Gertrude B. Elion",
                "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": "Gertrude B. Elion",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is important to go into...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-would-like-to-do-then-it-doesn-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/it-is-important-to-go-into-work-you-would-like-to-do-then-it-doesn-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
