--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Labor, in itself, is neither elevating or…" description: "\"Labor, in itself, is neither elevating or otherwise. It is the laborer's privilege to ennoble his work by the aim with which he undertakes it, and by t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/lucy-larcom-9021_aim_labor-in-itself-is-neither-elevating-or_957605.jpg" --- # Labor, in itself, is neither elevating or otherwise. It is… ![“Labor, in itself, is neither elevating or otherwise. It is the laborer's privilege to ennoble his work by the aim with which he undertakes it, and by the enthusiasm and faithfulness he puts into it.” quote by Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/lucy-larcom-9021_aim_labor-in-itself-is-neither-elevating-or_957605.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/lucy-larcom-9021_aim_labor-in-itself-is-neither-elevating-or_957605.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/lucy-larcom-9021_aim_labor-in-itself-is-neither-elevating-or_957605.jpg) > “Labor, in itself, is neither elevating or otherwise. It is the laborer's privilege to ennoble his work by the aim with which he undertakes it, and by the enthusiasm and faithfulness he puts into it.” [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Work gains dignity not from the task itself but from the purpose, enthusiasm, and fidelity the worker brings to it. **In simple terms:** Work is noble when done with purpose and passion. Key Takeaway Find meaning in how you work. Themes purpose work dignity enthusiasm faithfulness Mood reflective inspired thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career - creative projects - community service - personal routines Key Concepts Existentialism work ethic intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can you infuse purpose into routine tasks? - What barriers prevent you from fully engaging in your work? A Different Perspective Not all work allows for personal purpose; constraints may limit enthusiasm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [Faithfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithfulness/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Laborers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laborers/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [No one can feel more gratefully the charm of noble scenery, or the refreshment of escape into the unspoiled solitudes of nature, than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/no-one-can-feel-more-gratefully-the-charm-of-noble-scenery-or-the/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [A silence, the brief Sabbath of an hour, Reigns o'er the fields; the laborer sits within His dwelling; he has left his steers awhile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-bryant/a-silence-the-brief-sabbath-of-an-hour-reigns-o-er-the-fields-the/) [William C. Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-bryant/) > [Thou, O God, dost sell us all good things at the price of labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/thou-o-god-dost-sell-us-all-good-things-at-the-price-of-labor/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [India lives in several centuries at the same time. Every night outside my house I pass a road gang of emaciated laborers digging a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/india-lives-in-several-centuries-at-the-same-time-every-night-outside/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Woman has been the great unpaid laborer of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/woman-has-been-the-great-unpaid-laborer-of-the-world/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [Auditioning for television shows - to find a guy who has a lot of experience as a laborer is a bit of an anomaly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/auditioning-for-television-shows-to-find-a-guy-who-has-a-lot-of/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [There are treasures in books that all the money in the world cannot buy, but the poorest laborer can have for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-treasures-in-books-that-all-the-money-in-the-world-cannot/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As it becomes more and more difficult to get land, so will the virtual enslavement of the laboring-classe s go on. As the value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/as-it-becomes-more-and-more-difficult-to-get-land-so-will-the-virtual/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [And never since harvests were ripened, / Or laborers born, / Have men gathered figs of the thistle, / Or grapes of the thorn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/and-never-since-harvests-were-ripened-or-laborers-born-have-men/) [Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/) > [Million times better than me that day laborers are the back-breaking work and sleep at night exhausted and asleep onthe sidewalk is, I work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/million-times-better-than-me-that-day-laborers-are-the-back-breaking/) Mak\_786 > [I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-glad-to-see-that-a-system-of-labor-prevails-under-which-laborers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [A fine lady; by which term I wish to express the result of that perfect education in taste and manner, down to every gesture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/a-fine-lady-by-which-term-i-wish-to-express-the-result-of-that/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) ## More by Lucy Larcom > [O Mariner-soul, Thy quest is but begun, There are new worlds Forever to be won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/o-mariner-soul-thy-quest-is-but-begun-there-are-new-worlds-forever-to/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [A tattered copy of Johnson's large Dictionary was a great delight to me, on account of the specimens of English versifications which I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/a-tattered-copy-of-johnson-s-large-dictionary-was-a-great-delight-to/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [We were not meant to mask ourselves before our fellow-beings, but to be, through our human forms, true and clear utterances of the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/we-were-not-meant-to-mask-ourselves-before-our-fellow-beings-but-to/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The peach-bud glows, the wild bee hums, and wind-flowers wave in graceful gladness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-peach-bud-glows-the-wild-bee-hums-and-wind-flowers-wave-in/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [I don't own an inch of land, but all I see is mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/i-don-t-own-an-inch-of-land-but-all-i-see-is-mine/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/if-the-world-seems-cold-to-you-kindle-fires-to-warm-it/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [I never thought that the possession of money would make me feel rich: it often does seem to have an opposite effect. But then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/i-never-thought-that-the-possession-of-money-would-make-me-feel-rich/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [Whether rich or poor, a home is not a home unless the roots of love are ever striking deeper through the crust of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/whether-rich-or-poor-a-home-is-not-a-home-unless-the-roots-of-love/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The New Hampshire girls who came to Lowell were descendants of the sturdy backwoodsmen who settled that State scarcely a hundred years before… They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-new-hampshire-girls-who-came-to-lowell-were-descendants-of-the/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The religion of our fathers overhung us children like the shadow of a mighty tree against the trunk of which we rested, while we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-religion-of-our-fathers-overhung-us-children-like-the-shadow-of-a/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [These blossoms, gathered in familiar paths, With dear companions now passed out of sight, Shall not be laid upon their graves. They live, Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/these-blossoms-gathered-in-familiar-paths-with-dear-companions-now/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The curse of covetousness is that it destroys manhood by substituting money for character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-curse-of-covetousness-is-that-it-destroys-manhood-by-substituting/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [Rich or poor, every child comes into the world with some imperative need of its own, which shapes its individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/rich-or-poor-every-child-comes-into-the-world-with-some-imperative/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [If an apple blossom or a ripe apple could tell its own story, it would be, still more than its own, the story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/if-an-apple-blossom-or-a-ripe-apple-could-tell-its-own-story-it-would/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [There is something in the place where we were born that holds us always by the heart-strings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/there-is-something-in-the-place-where-we-were-born-that-holds-us/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) [Explore all 76 Lucy Larcom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Labor, in itself, is neither elevating or otherwise. 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