In an ideal world, nobody's work would be just about the money. People could pursue excellence in what they do, take pride in achievement, and derive meaning from knowing that their work improved the lives of others.
Interpretation
Work should be motivated by a desire for excellence and making a positive impact, rather than just financial gain.
This quote by Barry Schwartz emphasizes the importance of finding purpose and fulfillment in one's work beyond monetary compensation. It suggests that an ideal work environment would allow individuals to strive for excellence, take pride in their accomplishments, and find personal meaning in how their contributions positively affect others' lives.
In practice
In a motivational speech about job satisfaction.
I go through periods where I work a great deal at all hours of the day whenever I am around a typewriter, and then I go through spells where I don't do anything. I just sort of have lunch - all day. I never have been able to stick to a schedule. I work when there is something due or when I am really excited about a piece.
I cannot face with comfort the idea of life without work; work and the free play of the imagination are for me the same thing, I take no pleasure in anything else.
Sometimes it gets boring. No justice is supposed to say that. But, you know, there's drudgery in every job you're going to do.
I need to feel like the work I'm doing is not necessarily important, but meaningful, at least to me, because otherwise it just becomes a day job. It just becomes factory work and I get really frustrated.
The average American worker has fifty interruptions a day, of which seventy percent have nothing to do with work.
I love almost everything about my work except conferences. I am too shy in front of an audience. But I love signings and having eye contact with a reader who already knows my soul.
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