The blessings of work and of pursuing a dream (which takes work)

Look in any dictionary, and you will see that the definition of "work" varies as widely as the people who work, somehow, somewhere, in some way, every day.  Many times the references to work are derogatory--working for the weekend, work as drudgery, punching the clock, and, of course, the daily grind.

I'd like to vouch for the blessings of work (productive satisfaction, intellectual stimulation, collegial dialogue, and let us not forget, our daily pay) and to offer a few of my favorite, work-related quotations:

“I don't like work--no man does--but I like what is in the work--the chance to find yourself. Your own reality--for yourself not for others--what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means.”
― Joseph Conrad

“Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy. Laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction.”
― Anne Frank

“Inspiration usually comes during work rather than before it.”
― Madeleine L'Engle

“No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

“This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
― Alan Wilson Watts

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
― Confucius

So with the day that is a holiday for many in celebration of a man who worked harder than most in pursuit of his dream still fresh in our minds, I say work on for what matters to you, whatever that may be.  For me it's the writing, the creating, that fuels me. What work works for you?

punching the clock http://namwe-connect.com/2012/07/how-to-reward-for-performance-throw-away-the-time-clock/