--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man's prime interest in life must be…" description: "\"A man's prime interest in life must be his work.\" — Laurence Olivier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png" --- # A man's prime interest in life must be his work. ![“A man's prime interest in life must be his work.” quote by Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png) > “A man's prime interest in life must be his work.” [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Work is central to human fulfillment and identity. **In simple terms:** Work is essential to life. Key Takeaway Prioritize meaningful work. Themes work fulfillment identity Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - career choice - volunteer work - skill development - life balance Key Concepts existential purpose labor value Questions to Reflect On - What work gives you purpose? - How can you balance work with other values? A Different Perspective May ignore other life aspects like relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Interest in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest-in-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-work/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Man Prime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-prime-3178014/) [Prime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime/) [Prime Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime-life-1503632/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I'm 81 and I'm in the prime of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/i-m-81-and-i-m-in-the-prime-of-my-life/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning’ (‘Truth, Power, Self’, 9). Foucault”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gutting/the-main-interest-in-life-and-work-is-to-become-someone-else-that-you/) [Gary Gutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gutting/) > [I look back on my 20s. It's supposed to be the prime of your life, the most vital, the most beautiful. But you're making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/i-look-back-on-my-20s-it-s-supposed-to-be-the-prime-of-your-life-the/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [The prime of life is that fleeting time between green and over-ripe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cullen-hightower/the-prime-of-life-is-that-fleeting-time-between-green-and-over-ripe/) [Cullen Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cullen-hightower/) > [I don't consider 41 being in prime of life. Even if I conceived a child tomorrow I'd be 52 by the time it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-northam/i-don-t-consider-41-being-in-prime-of-life-even-if-i-conceived-a/) [Jeremy Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-northam/) > [Twenty-three is said to be the prime of life by those who have reached so far and no farther. It shares this distinction with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/twenty-three-is-said-to-be-the-prime-of-life-by-those-who-have/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [“Toxically shamed people tend to become more and more stagnant as life goes on. They live in a guarded, secretive and defensive way. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/toxically-shamed-people-tend-to-become-more-and-more-stagnant-as-life/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [“We danced to John Michael Montgomery’s “I Swear.” We cut the seven-tiered cake, electing not to take the smear-it-on-our-faces route. We visited and laughed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/we-danced-to-john-michael-montgomery-s-i-swear-we-cut-the-seven/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“The case is very plain before me. In leaving England, I should leave a loved but empty land — Mr. Rochester is not there;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/the-case-is-very-plain-before-me-in-leaving-england-i-should-leave-a/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/develop-interest-in-life-as-you-see-it-in-people-things-literature/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The interest in life does not lie in what people do, nor even in their relations to each other, but largely in the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-interest-in-life-does-not-lie-in-what-people-do-nor-even-in-their/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every other interest in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/the-family-is-the-most-important-unit-in-time-and-in-eternity-and-as/) [Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/) > [I have, in fact, no interest in life outside racing cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-ferrari/i-have-in-fact-no-interest-in-life-outside-racing-cars/) [Enzo Ferrari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-ferrari/) > [I think what we call the dullness of things is a disease in ourselves. Else how could anyone find an intense interest in life?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-think-what-we-call-the-dullness-of-things-is-a-disease-in-ourselves/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Those men who live with the greatest intensity are often the ones who seem to take least interest in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/those-men-who-live-with-the-greatest-intensity-are-often-the-ones-who/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) ## More by Laurence Olivier > [I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/i-often-think-that-could-we-creep-behind-the-actor-s-eyes-we-would/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Autograph-hunting is the most unattractive manifestation of sex-starved curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/autograph-hunting-is-the-most-unattractive-manifestation-of-sex/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Acting is an everlasting search for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/acting-is-an-everlasting-search-for-truth/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [I believe in the theater; I believe in it as the first glamorizer of thought. It restores dramatic dynamics and their relations to life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/i-believe-in-the-theater-i-believe-in-it-as-the-first-glamorizer-of/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [I suppose, unconsciously, I used all my wives to further my journey up the ladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/i-suppose-unconsciously-i-used-all-my-wives-to-further-my-journey-up/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [ “\[in 1979\] You must have - besides intuition and sensitivity - a cutting edge that allows you to reach what you need. Also, you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/in-1979-you-must-have-besides-intuition-and-sensitivity-a-cutting/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Acting, is not a profession for adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/acting-is-not-a-profession-for-adults/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Life is enthusiasm, zest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/life-is-enthusiasm-zest/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [If I wasn't an actor, I think I'd have gone mad. You have to have extra voltage, some extra temperament to reach certain heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/if-i-wasn-t-an-actor-i-think-i-d-have-gone-mad-you-have-to-have-extra/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [ \[on whether he harbored any resentment at his forced retirement from the stage after he was fired by Britain's National Theater\] I should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/on-whether-he-harbored-any-resentment-at-his-forced-retirement-from/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [I have to act to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/i-have-to-act-to-live/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [If he was lost for a moment, he would dive straight back into its honey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/if-he-was-lost-for-a-moment-he-would-dive-straight-back-into-its-honey/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [If you're an artist, you've got to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/if-you-re-an-artist-you-ve-got-to-prove-it/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Lead the audience by the nose to the thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/lead-the-audience-by-the-nose-to-the-thought/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [A sexual athlete is not likely to find sufficient energy for work of another athletic kind, and the acting of great parts most definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/a-sexual-athlete-is-not-likely-to-find-sufficient-energy-for-work-of/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) [Explore all 61 Laurence Olivier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) ## More Interest quotes > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I could not identify with harming my child or giving up my child. But I could identify with giving up my child if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drea-de-matteo/i-could-not-identify-with-harming-my-child-or-giving-up-my-child-but/) [Drea De Matteo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drea-de-matteo/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I think another thing is that we don't really want exclusivity. We accept that it is in the artist's interest to be on sale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-think-another-thing-is-that-we-don-t-really-want-exclusivity-we/) [Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/) > [My dream is to play ordinary characters. I have no interest in playing a pretty girl or an NRI girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/my-dream-is-to-play-ordinary-characters-i-have-no-interest-in-playing/) [Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) [Browse all 9,703 Interest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man's prime interest in life must be his work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laurence Olivier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-his-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Interest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-his-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/laurence-olivier-11163_interest_a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-h_1952691.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man's prime interest in life must be his work.” — Laurence Olivier", "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": "Laurence Olivier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man's prime interest in life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-his-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/a-man-s-prime-interest-in-life-must-be-his-work/#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 } } ] } ```