--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How hard you work matters more than how…" description: "\"How hard you work matters more than how much you make.\" — Michelle Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg" --- # How hard you work matters more than how much you make. ![“How hard you work matters more than how much you make.” quote by Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg) > “How hard you work matters more than how much you make.” [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effort and dedication outweigh earnings in determining personal worth and impact. **In simple terms:** Hard work matters more than income. Key Takeaway Prioritize effort over salary. Themes work ethic value achievement social mobility Mood motivational empowering Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - entrepreneurship - volunteering - personal development Key Concepts Meritocracy self-worth economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure success beyond money? - What habits reinforce a strong work ethic? A Different Perspective High income can still come from low effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matters Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-make-1878905/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-matters-266253/) ## Related quotes > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [We are bound to our ancestors and to those who made us, whether we want to be or not. What matters is what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/we-are-bound-to-our-ancestors-and-to-those-who-made-us-whether-we/) [Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/) > [“Maybe the only thing that matters is to make our lives last as long as we do. You know, to make a life last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlena-de-blasi/maybe-the-only-thing-that-matters-is-to-make-our-lives-last-as-long/) [Marlena De Blasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlena-de-blasi/) > [It does not matter what has been made of us; what matters is what we ourselves make of what has been made of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-kott/it-does-not-matter-what-has-been-made-of-us-what-matters-is-what-we/) [Jan Kott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-kott/) > [“What matters is what we make of our existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-matters-is-what-we-make-of-our-existence/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [You work hard for what you want in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/you-work-hard-for-what-you-want-in-life/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [What really matters is the work. And what matters to me is doing the work. I'm not looking at the back end: "What am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/what-really-matters-is-the-work-and-what-matters-to-me-is-doing-the/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do work that matters, this is it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/if-there-was-ever-a-moment-to-follow-your-passion-and-do-work-that/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [Open office plans, cell phones, constant notifications: these are all things that fight against sustained attention on a task. For some people and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/open-office-plans-cell-phones-constant-notifications-these-are-all/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [The people that are doing work that matters aren't doing work thats popular. They're just doing work that changes some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-people-that-are-doing-work-that-matters-aren-t-doing-work-thats/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Focus on your work. Do what you're great at. Don't compare yourself to others and or waste time criticizing the lives and work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/focus-on-your-work-do-what-you-re-great-at-don-t-compare-yourself-to/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Once you stop thinking about the minutiae of what each part might mean for your career, you learn that if you do a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-savage/once-you-stop-thinking-about-the-minutiae-of-what-each-part-might/) [Fred Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-savage/) > [Our lives have a countdown clock that we can't see. Mine reminds me to only do work that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/our-lives-have-a-countdown-clock-that-we-can-t-see-mine-reminds-me-to/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [The good news is that more than ever, value accrues to those that show up, those that make a difference, those that do work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-good-news-is-that-more-than-ever-value-accrues-to-those-that-show/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [To lend each other a hand when we're falling, perhaps that's the only work that matters in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/to-lend-each-other-a-hand-when-we-re-falling-perhaps-that-s-the-only/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## More by Michelle Obama > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-commitment-of-i-think-100-000/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [You work hard for what you want in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/you-work-hard-for-what-you-want-in-life/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward my husband,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-must-once-again-come-together-and-stand-together-for-the-man-we/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We're starting to see, as the economy improves, that the unemployment rate among veterans and military spouses - we're seeing some improvement in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-starting-to-see-as-the-economy-improves-that-the-unemployment/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [There's so much going on in the healthcare system that makes it difficult for women to really have a strong economic hold if insurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/there-s-so-much-going-on-in-the-healthcare-system-that-makes-it/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [In the 10 cities with the nation's highest obesity rates, the direct costs connected with obesity and obesity-related diseases are roughly $50 million per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/in-the-10-cities-with-the-nation-s-highest-obesity-rates-the-direct/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/what-i-admire-most-about-hillary-is-that-she-never-buckles-under/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [A lot of young people think they're invincible, but the truth is young people are knuckleheads... Now young people can get insurance for as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/a-lot-of-young-people-think-they-re-invincible-but-the-truth-is-young/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/one-of-the-lessons-that-i-grew-up-with-was-to-always-stay-true-to/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I have never felt more confident in myself, more clear on who I am as a woman. But I am constantly thinking about my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-have-never-felt-more-confident-in-myself-more-clear-on-who-i-am-as/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [ We got a commitment that 3 million nurses are going to be trained to better identify these signs \[of PTSD\], because, you know, when… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-got-a-commitment-that-3-million-nurses-are-going-to-be-trained-to/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We're our kids' first and best role models. So the first question is, what are you as a mom or a dad doing every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-our-kids-first-and-best-role-models-so-the-first-question-is/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I've always tried to make sure that what I do really connects with the broader agenda of what my husband is trying to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-ve-always-tried-to-make-sure-that-what-i-do-really-connects-with/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all of our sons and daughters;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-know-from-experience-that-if-i-truly-want-to-leave-a-better-world/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) [Explore all 504 Michelle Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) ## More Hard quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is hard to admit to someone that you love him..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misherie/it-is-hard-to-admit-to-someone-that-you-love-him/) [Misherie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misherie/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [There Was Many Time I Had Wanted To Give Up In Life On So Many Things…But Naw F\*\*\* That...I'm Not Going To Never Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/out-spoken/there-was-many-time-i-had-wanted-to-give-up-in-life-on-so-many-things/) [Out Spoken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/out-spoken/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [In our society we have hard nerds and soft nerds. The hard nerds are the ones who used to have the slide rules at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/in-our-society-we-have-hard-nerds-and-soft-nerds-the-hard-nerds-are/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [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/) > [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) [Browse all 29,826 Hard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How hard you work matters more than how much you make.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how-much-you-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how-much-you-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/michelle-obama-518_hard_how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how_2230311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How hard you work matters more than how much you make.” — Michelle Obama", "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": "Michelle Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How hard you work matters more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how-much-you-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/how-hard-you-work-matters-more-than-how-much-you-make/#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 } } ] } ```