Telecommuting is no longer the future… it's the here and now! And there's nothing like a good inspirational quote to get you motivated for the day. We've rounded up some of our favorite remote work quotes to inspire you, whether you're an employee, freelancer or business owner.
In this collection, you'll find thoughts from business leaders, words from prominent people in science, arts and sports, and some insightful work from home quotes on productivity. We've also included some travel quotes especially for digital nomads working remotely.
So are you ready to get inspired?
In this article:
Remote work quotes for employers and companies.
We started our compilation of remote work quotes with some specially geared towards companies. If you haven't yet embraced remote work for your teams, perhaps these reflections from industry leaders will get you thinking...
1. “People are more productive working from home than they expected. Some people thought it was going to fall apart and it didn't." -Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg may not please everyone, but the all-powerful founder of Facebook is here. For years, business leaders fretted about giving employees the flexibility to work remotely, suspecting they wouldn't do anything without supervision.
The pandemic has put that to the test for many organizations, and guess what? The house did not fall. In fact, quite the opposite: most companies have found that their employees are more productive when they work remotely.
2. “It's all about flexibility in the workplace. It's about giving our associates the opportunity to be who they are as individuals, whether that's a community member, a spouse or parent, or whatever.” – Freshman Amy
As senior director of global workforce enablement at human resources giant ADP, Amy Freshman implemented flexible working arrangements for a global team of more than 60,000 people. Here he explains why remote work has been such an important and effective aspect of the company's strategy.
3. “Do you want access to talent everywhere or just in specific markets? If the answer is all over the place, you should at least be open to the possibility of working remotely." –Katie Burke
As Chief People Officer at Hubspot, Katie Burke played a leadership role in cultivating a remote work culture at the software company. She wrote about how the companymoved to a hybrid remote office model. In this quote that caught our attention, he articulates one of the biggest benefits of remote working: the ability to hire talent from anywhere.
4. “If you are not limited by a specific office location, you can search anywhere in the country or the world.” –Nicole McCabe
Same point, different words. Nicole McCabe is a vice president at multinational software company SAP, which has been at the forefront when it comes to remote work. The freedom to hire globally is a common theme cited by companies that work remotely. When we talk to severaltelecommuting companiesplanning to maintain flexible arrangements after the pandemic was one of the main reasons given.
5. “People today really value workplace flexibility and remote working because it allows them to focus their energies on work and life rather than commuting to work” – Ken Matos
Time is the most valuable asset we have. For many people who have recently been able to work from home for the first time, ditching the daily commute has been an absolute joy. Kan Matos, Vice President of Research at Life Meets Work, explains here why this is such a valuable benefit companies can offer their employees.
6. “Technology now allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, with anyone in the world, from virtually any device. This is dramatically changing the way people work, making it easier to collaborate 24/7 with colleagues across time zones, countries and continents.” –Michael Dell
Dell has been at the forefront of businessinvesting heavily in remote technology. Here, founder and CEO Michael Dell reflects on how modern advances in connectivity have made it easier than ever to do business on a global scale.
7. “One of the secret benefits of using remote workers is that the job itself becomes the yardstick for judging one's performance.” -Jason Fried
In an office environment, a lot of emphasis is placed on working hours when it comes to evaluating performance. You may be the top performer in the company when it comes to results, but if you're half an hour late every day, eyebrows will rise and you'll likely soon be disciplined. As Jason Fried, founder and CEO of project management tool Basecamp, describes here, in a remote work environment, results become the most important measure.
8. "Now that companies have built the framework and experienced the cost and time savings associated with it, there's no real reason to back off." – Marcos Lobosco
Organizations and companies have invested heavily in remote work infrastructure and now it's not possible to put toothpaste back in the tube. As LinkedIn's VP of Talent Solutions Mark Lobosco puts it here, remote work is likely here to stay.
Work at home quotes on productivity
Time management and productivity are often the biggest challenges for remote workers, especially for people who are new to the situation. How do you overcome all the distractions and set the right priorities? We've chosen the following quotes to help you find some structure and motivation.
For more inspiration, read our collection ofremote work tipsabout time management, tools and productivity.
9. “Trying to do everything and expecting everything to be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy." –Sheryl Sandberg
We start this section with more inspiration from the Facebook boardroom, this time from COO Sheryl Sandberg. Managing your own expectations is one of the hardest tasks when you're responsible for your own time. There will be bad days among the good ones, don't beat yourself up about it.
10. "Focus on being productive instead of being busy." –Tim Ferriss
Author ofThe 4 hour work weekTim Ferriss is all about getting maximum results in minimum time. This quote sums up his philosophy: It's all about prioritization. You don't have to 'look busy' when no one is looking over your shoulder.
11. “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” -Stephen Covey
In the same spirit, this quote from the late author and business leader Stephen Covey sheds light on a common time management flaw. Is the constant gunfire keeping you from seeing the big picture?
12. “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” - Pablo Picasso
Nobody said it better than the great Picasso in this quote. Just as art is often about things you don't see, productivity at work is achieved through things you don't do.
13. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” -Dale Carnegie
If perfection is the enemy, as Sheryl Sandberg opines above, then procrastination is perhaps a close second. This quote from legendary American writer Dale Carnegie describes a simple but effective strategy for productivity: stick with the hardest tasks. Easier said than done!
14. “What looks like multitasking is actually multitasking, which reduces productivity and increases errors by up to 50%.” –Susan Cain
Multitasking is often touted as a valuable skill, but a wealth of research suggests otherwise. Author Susan Cain's claim in this quote is well supported by science. For example, Stanford University is one of many institutions that have discovered thatmultitasking is less productive than doing one task at a time.
15. "I think I'm a lot more creative when I really take care of myself." –Arianna Huffington
Self-care is an integral part of being productive. If you don't take care of yourself, it's inevitable that your work will deteriorate and you'll burn out. Arianna Huffington, founder of HuffPost, puts it powerfully in this quote.
Remote work lifestyle quotes to inspire you
Working remotely can be a passport to independence, fulfillment and adventure. If you're not already on board, these upcoming appointments might get you diving in! Or, if you're an experienced remote worker, you might consider them a source of reinforcement.
16. "You have to do what you dream of doing even when you're scared." –Arianna Huffington
We continue this section where we left off with another Arianna Huffington quote. Fear is often our enemy. Don't let that stop you from living the life you want.
17. “If we could be somewhere, experience the world in beautiful surroundings while working, challenge ourselves, grow professionally, enjoy a community of like-minded people and connect locally, what would stop us?” -Michael Youngblood
Once you get a taste of the remote work lifestyle, it can take some time to really appreciate the possibilities it brings. Where would you choose to work if your job could be done from anywhere? Why would you stay in the same place as always?
Michael Youngblood, CEO of Unsettled, a company that empowers creatives to work beyond traditional boundaries, defines that challenge in this remote work quote.
18. “When people are free to choose where they want to work in the world, they simply get more out of their daily work.” –Brian DeHaaff
It's definitely true that where you live is crucial to your happiness at work. For you, that might be an exotic beach on the other side of the world, or the city where you've always lived. But at least remote work gives you the freedom of choice.
19. “Many people think that the remote work community is only made up of spoiled and privileged millennials and Instagram influencers, and we are not. We are people of all ages, from all countries and from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and what unites us is our shared mindset of wanting to do something different and have adventures sooner or later in life.” –Spencer Jentzsch
This one is a little tricky, but it really stood out to us! There are many misconceptions about remote workers and they are almost always false. Spend time getting to know people who work remotely and take the opportunity to travel, and you'll soon see that they are a diverse and inspiring group of people from all walks of life.
20. "Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should establish a life you don't have to run away from." – Seth Godin
I was looking for a quote to hang on my home office wall, and thanks to research for this article, I found it. This quote from author Seth Godin (giveTribea read) is my new favorite. It reminds me of listening to blogger Nomadic Matt talk about building a “travel culture instead of a vacation culture”.
I never liked the idea of vacations being an escape from life at home. The freedom and flexibility of remote work can bring an entirely different ethic to your life.
21. “Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.” -Stephen Hawking
We spend more time working than almost anything else in life. What a waste it would be, then, to spend all that time on something that doesn't interest you. Legendary scientist Stephen Hawking put it succinctly in this quote.
22. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure.” –Suzy Kasem
Fear and self-doubt are the biggest barriers to making life-impacting career and lifestyle changes. Philosopher and poet Suzy Kassem gets it right here. We could make other excuses, like it's too risky financially or we don't have the time... but what's really stopping us?
23. “Never work just for money or power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night." –Marian Wright Edelman
As one of the most prominent children's rights activists in decades, Marian Wright Edelman knows a thing or two about doing meaningful work. As you visualize your ideal work life, ask yourself what will bring you the most satisfaction.
24. “Work-life balance is not just a loud self-help term that real business people laugh at. You need this." – Stephanie Ruhle
On this blog, we often talk about the importance of work-life balance, so it's great to find advocates in unlikely places. Few people are as familiar with workplace pressures as noted journalist Stephanie Ruhle, senior business correspondent for NBC News and host of MSNBC Live. We agree Stephanie!
25. "My goal is no longer to do more, but to have less to do." –Francine Jay
Also known asminimalist lady, Francine Jay built her life on less. In this quote she also defendsdoingany less. Why do we aspire to have such busy lives? Remote work can allow you to eliminate all unnecessary stress.
26. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky
We hear quotes from artists, scientists, and activists, among many others. And here we have just a glimpse of the sport's highest levels, none other than immortal ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. If you don't try, you'll never know.
Telecommuting budgets for travelers and digital nomads
In this final section of remote work quotes, we turn our attention to our favorite thing… traveling! If you are a seasoned or aspiring digital nomad, or want to knit somethingjobsinto your remote work lifestyle, these latest quotes from our compilation are for you.
27. "I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." –Susan Sontag
This one by the late and great writer Susan Sontag is one of the all-time classic travel quotes. It captures the essence of wanderlust: the journey is never complete, because there is always somewhere else to explore.
28. "Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before." - Dalai Lama
Global pandemics and lockdowns aside, this quote from the Dalai Lama is a good mantra to live by in normal times. We love to go back to our favorite places, but nothing like the curiosity of getting to know a new place.
29. "I was told to put down roots, instead I grew wings." – Louis de Bernieres
I love this quote for the angle of subverting societal expectations. Louis de Bernières is most famous for writingCaptain Corelli's Mandolin.
I've often been asked in the past, isn't it time you settled down now? Putting down roots can bring security and certainty, but it won't make everyone completely happy. The way I look at it is that roots and wings are great things to have.
30. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, intolerance and pettiness." –Marc Twain
There are so many great Marc Twain quotes about travel that it was hard to pick one. This one stands out because it conveys the unique power of travel to break down barriers between cultures and promote understanding between people of different backgrounds.
31. "There's nothing like going back to a place that remains unchanged to discover how you yourself have changed." - Nelson Mandela
This quote will resonate with anyone who has traveled extensively before, whether for work or pure exploration. Reminds me how we felt afterwardsreturning home from our travel career break, and I've heard stories from so many other people with similar experiences. Returning to familiarity after a life-changing experience is jarring and can be difficult to readjust.
32. “Long-term travel is not an act of rebellion against society; It is an act of common sense within society.” –Rolf Potts
This is an idealistic quote describing a world I would like to see. With the rise of sabbaticals, remote work and digital nomadism, long-term travel is becoming more commonplace, but in some circles it is still considered taboo. If everyone traveled long term at least once in their lifetime, the collective learning and understanding gained would make the world a better place.
33. “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” - Helen Keller
We end with words of wisdom from author and activist Helen Keller. We only get to live this life once, so we better make the most of it.
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Do you have a favorite quote about remote work? Let us know in the comments below.
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