--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't like work - no man does - but I…" description: "\"I don't like work - no man does - but I like what's in the work: the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not for others - what no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/joseph-conrad-336_reality_i-don-t-like-work-no-man-does-but-i-like_3009620.jpg" --- # I don't like work - no man does - but I like what's in the… ![“I don't like work - no man does - but I like what's in the work: the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not for others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means.” quote by Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/joseph-conrad-336_reality_i-don-t-like-work-no-man-does-but-i-like_3009620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/joseph-conrad-336_reality_i-don-t-like-work-no-man-does-but-i-like_3009620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d2/joseph-conrad-336_reality_i-don-t-like-work-no-man-does-but-i-like_3009620.jpg) > “I don't like work - no man does - but I like what's in the work: the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not for others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means.” [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Work reveals inner truth; through effort we discover authentic self, beyond external appearances. **In simple terms:** Work helps you find your true self. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity in your work. Themes self‑discovery authenticity existentialism Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - personal growth - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts Introspection meaning of labor Questions to Reflect On - What does your work reveal about you? - How can you align work with inner truth? A Different Perspective Work can become a trap if driven by external expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I like what is in the work -- the chance to find yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-like-what-is-in-the-work-the-chance-to-find-yourself/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I don't like work... but I like what is in work - the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-don-t-like-work-but-i-like-what-is-in-work-the-chance-to-find/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“I don't like work. I had rather laze about and think of all the fine things that can be done. I don't like work—no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-don-t-like-work-i-had-rather-laze-about-and-think-of-all-the-fine/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“I don’t like work—no man does—but I like what is in the work—the chance to find yourself. —JOSEPH CONRAD”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/i-don-t-like-work-no-man-does-but-i-like-what-is-in-the-work-the/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Man who is he? Too bad, to be the work of God: Too good for the work of chance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/man-who-is-he-too-bad-to-be-the-work-of-god-too-good-for-the-work-of/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Seems to me that this business, for actors anyway, is not so much about whether or not you do good work. It's about whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/seems-to-me-that-this-business-for-actors-anyway-is-not-so-much-about/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [“I often ask, "What do you want to work at? If you have the chance. When you get out of school, college, the service,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/i-often-ask-what-do-you-want-to-work-at-if-you-have-the-chance-when/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [ “No influential friend would have served me better. She \[the steamboat\] had given me a chance to come out a bit-to find out what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/no-influential-friend-would-have-served-me-better-she-the-steamboat/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“We live to work. Man was made to move. Without work we shall grow old quickly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-live-to-work-man-was-made-to-move-without-work-we-shall-grow-old/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I won’t work for any man ever again. My body is my own. It is all I own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-mozley/i-won-t-work-for-any-man-ever-again-my-body-is-my-own-it-is-all-i-own/) [Fiona Mozley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-mozley/) > [“There is no competition in work. Many a man wants glory but fails to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-no-competition-in-work-many-a-man-wants-glory-but-fails-to/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Work is not man's punishment. It is his reward and his strength and his pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/work-is-not-man-s-punishment-it-is-his-reward-and-his-strength-and/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Faults and defects every work of man must have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/faults-and-defects-every-work-of-man-must-have/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [God's work is not man working for God; it is God's own work, though often wrought through man's hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-taylor/god-s-work-is-not-man-working-for-god-it-is-god-s-own-work-though/) [Hudson Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-taylor/) > [God never made his work for man to mend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/god-never-made-his-work-for-man-to-mend/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) ## More by Joseph Conrad > [“Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/hunters-for-gold-or-pursuers-of-fame-they-all-had-gone-out-on-that/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Let the earth and the sea each have its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/let-the-earth-and-the-sea-each-have-its-own/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/he-hated-all-this-and-somehow-he-couldn-t-get-away/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“A fool, what with sheer fright and fine sentiments, is always safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/a-fool-what-with-sheer-fright-and-fine-sentiments-is-always-safe/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The mind of man is capable of anything-because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-mind-of-man-is-capable-of-anything-because-everything-is-in-it/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Few men realize that their life, the very essence of their character, their capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/few-men-realize-that-their-life-the-very-essence-of-their-character/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive and wild -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/perhaps-on-some-quiet-night-the-tremor-of-far-off-drums-sinking/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“All that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/all-that-mysterious-life-of-the-wilderness-that-stirs-in-the-forest/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The fascination of the abomination—you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-fascination-of-the-abomination-you-know/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-s-only-those-who-do-nothing-that-make-no-mistakes-i-suppose/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Thieving was not a sheer absurdity. It was a form of human industry, perverse indeed, but still an industry exercised in an industrious world;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/thieving-was-not-a-sheer-absurdity-it-was-a-form-of-human-industry/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I found myself back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-found-myself-back-in-the-sepulchral-city-resenting-the-sight-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Society was calling to its accomplished child to come, to be taken care of, to be instructed, to be judged, to be condemned; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/society-was-calling-to-its-accomplished-child-to-come-to-be-taken/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I was constantly watching myself, my secret self, as dependent on my actions as my own personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-was-constantly-watching-myself-my-secret-self-as-dependent-on-my/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Explore all 645 Joseph Conrad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## More Reality quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [Check out the albums, ... Check out the live performances. That's the reality of it all. Music is such an energizing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/check-out-the-albums-check-out-the-live-performances-that-s-the/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [“The universe is not punishing you or blessing you. The universe is simply responding to the vibrational attitude that you are emitting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-hicks/the-universe-is-not-punishing-you-or-blessing-you-the-universe-is/) [Abraham Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-hicks/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. I keep pushing forward, keep working hard every day, keep my head on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-daniels/being-under-recruited-coming-out-of-highland-i-ve-carried-that-with/) [Mike Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-daniels/) [Browse all 19,710 Reality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't like work - no man does - but I like what's in the work: the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself, not for others - what no other man can ever know. 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