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The pleasure of work is open to anyone who can develop some specialised skill, provided that he can get satisfaction from the exercise of his skill without demanding universal applause.
Bertrand Russell
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Work can be pleasurable if one finds satisfaction in their specialized skills without needing external validation.

Bertrand Russell’s quote emphasizes that true fulfillment from work comes not from seeking recognition or approval from others, but from the intrinsic pleasure one derives from developing and exercising one’s specialized skills. It suggests that if an individual can appreciate their own expertise and the joy it brings, they can experience the pleasure of work regardless of outside accolades.

Themes

WorkPleasureSkillSatisfactionRecognition

In practice

Example use cases

During a team meeting, one might say this quote to encourage employees to find joy in their tasks regardless of external recognition.

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St. Paul introduced an entirely novel view of marriage, that it existed primarily to prevent the sin of fornication. It is just as if one were to maintain that the sole reason for baking bread is to prevent people from stealing cake.
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At all times, except when a monarch could enforce his will, war has been facilitated by the fact that vigorous males, confident of victory, enjoyed it, while their females admired them for their prowess.
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Moreover, the attitude that one ought to believe such and such a proposition, independently of the question whether there is evidence in its favor, is an attitude which produces hostility to evidence and causes us to close our minds to every fact that does not suit our prejudices.
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