--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are not happy in your work, you…" description: "\"If you are not happy in your work, you are a slave.\" — Wallace D. Wattles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/wallace-d-wattles-1465_happiness_if-you-are-not-happy-in-your-work-you-ar_924614.jpg" --- # If you are not happy in your work, you are a slave. ![“If you are not happy in your work, you are a slave.” quote by Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/wallace-d-wattles-1465_happiness_if-you-are-not-happy-in-your-work-you-ar_924614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/wallace-d-wattles-1465_happiness_if-you-are-not-happy-in-your-work-you-ar_924614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/wallace-d-wattles-1465_happiness_if-you-are-not-happy-in-your-work-you-ar_924614.jpg) > “If you are not happy in your work, you are a slave.” [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unhappiness at work equates to feeling enslaved, suggesting true fulfillment requires autonomy and purpose. **In simple terms:** Unhappy work feels like slavery. Key Takeaway Seek work that aligns with your values. Themes freedom work fulfillment Mood frustrated reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career choice - entrepreneurship - job satisfaction - mental health - life purpose Key Concepts existentialism personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your work make you feel trapped? - How could you increase autonomy within your current role? A Different Perspective Not all work can be changed; systemic constraints may limit options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-work/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [No one asked you to be happy. Get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-asked-you-to-be-happy-get-to-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This false appearance distinguishes wages labour from other historical forms of labour. On the basis of the wages system even the unpaid labour seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/this-false-appearance-distinguishes-wages-labour-from-other/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Actors work and slave and it is the color of your hair that can determine your fate in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hayes/actors-work-and-slave-and-it-is-the-color-of-your-hair-that-can/) [Helen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hayes/) > [A man will work and slave in obscurity for ten years and then become famous in ten minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ripley/a-man-will-work-and-slave-in-obscurity-for-ten-years-and-then-become/) [Robert Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ripley/) > [“I stole you, among others, from the streets of God’s birthplace. I forced you to work as a slave. Imprisoned, mistreated and starved you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-carnes/i-stole-you-among-others-from-the-streets-of-god-s-birthplace-i/) [V.S. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-carnes/) > [“If a person did all the work of a slave but had the option of quitting at any time without being physically restrained or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-a-person-did-all-the-work-of-a-slave-but-had-the-option-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [The well-cared-for woman is a parasite, and the woman who must work is a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-anderson/the-well-cared-for-woman-is-a-parasite-and-the-woman-who-must-work-is/) Cora Anderson > [So I might be living a fantasy, wasting my life away, but I just dont have it in me, to follow orders, or work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumit-khanal/so-i-might-be-living-a-fantasy-wasting-my-life-away-but-i-just-dont/) [Sumit Khanal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumit-khanal/) > [“I will not work with a slave as an equal nor will I share a servant with him. (Valerius) Trust me, boy, we’re not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-will-not-work-with-a-slave-as-an-equal-nor-will-i-share-a-servant/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Be happy, work hard, have a good day, it's up to you :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrs-butterfield/be-happy-work-hard-have-a-good-day-it-s-up-to-you/) Mrs Butterfield > [Yes, I am happy that my work is recognised, and it is wonderful to be acknowledged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/yes-i-am-happy-that-my-work-is-recognised-and-it-is-wonderful-to-be/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [God intends no man to live in this world without working, but it seems to me no less evident that He intends every man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/god-intends-no-man-to-live-in-this-world-without-working-but-it-seems/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“You can’t be happy at work every day. No matter how much you love your job, there are still going to be bad days.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kjerulf/you-can-t-be-happy-at-work-every-day-no-matter-how-much-you-love-your/) [Alexander Kjerulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kjerulf/) > [I found I'm quite happy working on a sentence for an hour or more, searching for the right phrase, the right word. I compare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-doerr/i-found-i-m-quite-happy-working-on-a-sentence-for-an-hour-or-more/) [Harriet Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-doerr/) > [You can only hope to get a combination of happy work and a happy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/you-can-only-hope-to-get-a-combination-of-happy-work-and-a-happy-life/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) ## More by Wallace D. Wattles > [Get rid of the idea that God wants you to sacrifice yourself for others, and that you can secure his favor by doing so;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/get-rid-of-the-idea-that-god-wants-you-to-sacrifice-yourself-for/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [You already have within you everything you need to turn your dreams into reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-already-have-within-you-everything-you-need-to-turn-your-dreams/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Nothing was ever in any man that is not in you; no man ever had more spiritual or mental power than you can attain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/nothing-was-ever-in-any-man-that-is-not-in-you-no-man-ever-had-more/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [You can never become a great man or woman until you have overcome anxiety, worry, and fear. It is impossible for an anxious person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-can-never-become-a-great-man-or-woman-until-you-have-overcome/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [It is essential to have good tools, but it is also essential that the tools should be used in the right way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/it-is-essential-to-have-good-tools-but-it-is-also-essential-that-the/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [The more gratefully we fix our minds on the Supreme when good things come to us, the more good things we will receive, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-more-gratefully-we-fix-our-minds-on-the-supreme-when-good-things/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [You are not kept poor by lack in the supply of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-are-not-kept-poor-by-lack-in-the-supply-of-riches/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Remember that poise and power are inseparably associated. The calm and balanced mind is the strong and great mind; the hurried and agitated mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/remember-that-poise-and-power-are-inseparably-associated-the-calm-and/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [It is within the power of every man to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/it-is-within-the-power-of-every-man-to-become-great/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Do not wait for an opportunity to be all that you want to be; when an opportunity to be more than you are now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/do-not-wait-for-an-opportunity-to-be-all-that-you-want-to-be-when-an/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [You want to get rich in order that you may surround yourself with beautiful things, see distant lands, feed your mind, and develop your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/you-want-to-get-rich-in-order-that-you-may-surround-yourself-with/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Wisdom is the essential basis of greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/wisdom-is-the-essential-basis-of-greatness/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [The human being lives, moves, and has his being in a limitless ocean of health-power, and he uses this power according to his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-human-being-lives-moves-and-has-his-being-in-a-limitless-ocean-of/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, and fills the inter spaces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/there-is-a-thinking-stuff-from-which-all-things-are-made-and-which-in/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [I will trust and not be afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/i-will-trust-and-not-be-afraid/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) [Explore all 224 Wallace D. Wattles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you are not happy in your work, you are a slave.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wallace D. 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