Life is a near-death experience.
George CarlinRead
If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously questions the nature of work and motivation by implying that if work is enjoyable, it shouldn't require payment.
George Carlin's quote uses humor to challenge the conventional view of work as a fulfilling endeavor. By suggesting that if work is indeed 'terrific,' people shouldn't need financial compensation to engage in it, he highlights the often unpleasant reality of many jobs and the necessity of payment, thus prompting reflection on the true nature of work and its relationship to happiness and motivation.
Themes
WorkHumorMotivationPaymentPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a discussion about job satisfaction.
More from George Carlin
All quotes →Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car."
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If you've got a cat and a leg, you've got a happy cat. If you've got a cat and two legs, you've got a party.
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This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen.
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Some people try to get out of jury duty by lying. You don't have to lie. Tell the judge the truth. Tell him you'd make a terrific juror because you can spot guilty people.
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Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.
George CarlinRead
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