--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you accomplish something good with…" description: "\"“If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg" --- # If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor… ![“If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures” quote by Musonius Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg) > ““If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures”” Musonius Rufus ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard work yields lasting good, while fleeting pleasure leads to enduring shame; moral labor outlasts temporary joy. **In simple terms:** Good work endures; pleasure fades. Key Takeaway Choose lasting virtue. Themes ethics philosophy labor Mood reflective serious Type philosophical didactic When to use this quote - personal development - education Key Concepts virtue ethics temporal value Questions to Reflect On - What lasting impact do you seek? - How do you balance work and pleasure? A Different Perspective Some argue pleasure is essential for well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) ## Related quotes > [“If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labour passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-ghezelbash/if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-hard-work-the-labour-passes/) Philip Ghezelbash > [Sensual pleasure passes and vanishes, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delight of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/sensual-pleasure-passes-and-vanishes-but-the-friendship-between-us/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We have neither the strength nor the opportunity to accomplish all the good and all the evil which we design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-have-neither-the-strength-nor-the-opportunity-to-accomplish-all/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [What we can accomplish as good as it may be does not compare to what God can accomplish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/what-we-can-accomplish-as-good-as-it-may-be-does-not-compare-to-what/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another: a question concerning a person's family, quick words of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/often-small-acts-of-service-are-all-that-is-required-to-lift-and/) [Thomas S. 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That's the most difficult challenge of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/for-me-the-most-important-thing-that-i-have-to-accomplish-is-to-be-a/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) > [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/) [Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) ## More by Musonius Rufus > [“Only by exhibiting actions in harmony with the sound words which he has received will anyone be helped by philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/only-by-exhibiting-actions-in-harmony-with-the-sound-words-which-he/) Musonius Rufus > [“In marriage there must be complete companionship and concern for each other on the part of both husband and wife, in health and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/in-marriage-there-must-be-complete-companionship-and-concern-for-each/) Musonius Rufus > [“Since every man dies, it is better to die with distinction than to live long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/since-every-man-dies-it-is-better-to-die-with-distinction-than-to/) Musonius Rufus Explore all 4 Musonius Rufus quotes ## More Hard work quotes > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [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/) > [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/) [Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. 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It has been hard for me to get rid of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-got-the-reputation-of-being-hard-to-work-with-it-has-been-hard-for/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-know-that-i-m-going-to-have-to-work-hard-keep-working-hard-and-not/) [Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/) > [If you don't meet luck halfway with really hard work, luck won't get you all the way there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/if-you-don-t-meet-luck-halfway-with-really-hard-work-luck-won-t-get/) [Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. 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You can inspire the student to voluntarily and enthusiastically choose to do the hard work necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/there-are-really-only-two-ways-to-teach-you-can-inspire-the-student/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) [Browse all 7,687 Hard work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Musonius Rufus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-hard-work-the-labor-passes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-hard-work-the-labor-passes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/musonius-rufus-66855_hard-work_if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-ha_3039806.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do…” — Musonius Rufus", "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": "Musonius Rufus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/musonius-rufus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you accomplish something good with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-hard-work-the-labor-passes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/if-you-accomplish-something-good-with-hard-work-the-labor-passes/#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 } } ] } ```