We live in a hustle culture that glorifies being constantly busy and working overtime. However, all work and no rest will lead to burnout.
If you’ve been feeling depleted and passionless from overworking, you’re not alone. This compilation of quotes about working too much from thought leaders offers perspective and reminds us why balance matters.
Featuring 60 inspirational quotes on the perils of overexertion, as well as the importance of knowing when to take a break, this article aims to resonate with overworked employees struggling with burnout.
60 Quotes About Working Too Much
Here are the most inspirational quotes about working too much that will renew your energy, drive, and passion for life again.
1. “I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” Anna Quindlen
2. “The word no is like an asset in a metaphorical bank account where our life’s energy is the holding. Use it to save, and use it to earn a greater sense of yourself, what’s important to you, and where you want to spend your time and energy.” Keisha Blair
3. “Nobody’s perfect, so give yourself credit for everything you’re doing right, and be kind to yourself when you struggle.” Lori Deschene
4. “The reality is: there will always be more work. From our jobs and owning businesses, to being a manager of our families and our homes – there will always be more work. It never goes away. We never escape from the responsibilities that life presents us. But one of our main responsibilities should be ourselves, after all, there’s only one of us anyway.” Vanessa Autrey
5. “Time spent in nature is the most cost-effective and powerful way to counteract the burnout and sort of depression that we feel when we sit in front of a computer all day.” Richard Louv
6. “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” Banksy
7. “If you think you can outsmart burnout, burnout will prove you wrong.” Sally Clarke
8. “You don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful.” Andrew Wilkinson
9. “In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.” Dalai Lama
10. “There is a fine line between challenging yourself and overwhelming yourself.” Brittany Burgunder
11. “You will burn and you will burn out; you will be healed and come back again.” Fyodor Dostoevsky
12. “Overworking doing what you love is way more revitalizing than resting from doing what you hate.” Mokokoma Mokhonoana
13. “Understanding how to find the magic moments in your daily life is critical. If you subscribe to the philosophy that says, “My vacation will free me from burnout,” then you`re waiting for a few days out of the year to make up for many days of stress. Instead, you have to be able to take mini-vacations on a daily basis.” Tony Robbins
14. “In order to break the cycle of burnout, it is important to observe and identify your burn events, prepare for those you can identify, and recover from each.” Dr. Kate Steiner
15. “Leisure is only possible when we are at one with ourselves. We tend to overwork as a means of self-escape, as a way of trying to justify our existence.” Josef Pieper
16. “Burnout is due to a lack of respect for your personal boundaries.” Unknown
17. “Too much work and too much energy kill a man just as effectively as too much-assorted vice or too much drink” Rudyard Kipling
18. “Stress is the trash of modern life. We all generate it, but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.” Danzae Pace
19. “Burnout is nature’s way of telling you you’ve been going through the motions your soul has departed.” Sam Keen
20. “Nothing is worth your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.” Steve Maraboli
21. “Being overwhelmed means that your life or work is overpowering you. Regain control by clarifying your intentions, setting realistic expectations, and focusing on your next step.” Daphne Michaels
22. “Burnout is the result of too much energy output and not enough energy self-invested. In other words, it’s burning too much fuel than you’ve put in your tank.” Melissa Steginus
23. “Take a break from the stresses of life and use that time to rediscover the important things that matter to you most. We all deserve an anti-stress day to recharge our batteries.” Dee Waldeck
24. “Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long.” Michael Gungor
25. “Do each day all that can be done that day. You don’t need to overwork or rush blindly into your work trying to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible time.” Earl Nightingale
26. “It’s also our collective delusion that overwork and burnout are the prices we must pay in order to succeed.” Arianna Huffington
27. “Rest is, quite simply, when you stop using a part of you that’s used up, worn out, damaged, or inflamed so that it has a chance to renew itself.” Emily Nagoski
28. “Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Ovid
29. “You’re burned out because this culture has messed up our priorities, not because there’s something wrong with you.” Juliana Finch
30. “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Lou Holtz
31. “Friendly reminder that ‘doing your best’ does not mean working yourself to the point of a mental breakdown.” Unknown
32. “The wise rest at least as hard as they work.” Mokokoma Mokhonoana
33. “Burnout occurs when your body and mind can no longer keep up with the tasks you demand of them. Don’t try to force yourself to do the impossible. Delegate time for important tasks, but always be sure to leave time for relaxation and reflection.” Del Suggs
34. “No work is worse than overwork; the mind preys on itself, the most unwholesome of food.” Charles Lamb
35. “You can do anything, but not everything.” David Allen
36. “Your energy is currency. Spend it well.” Unknown
37. “Burnout is a bone-tired, soul-tired, heart-tired kind of exhaustion.” J. Pennebaker
38. “It takes 10 times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” Suzanne Collins
39. “The real secret to getting more done is giving yourself a break.” Marie Forleo
40. “You don’t have to take on other people’s goals and feel like you have to meet them.” Laura Brassic
41. “These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” Najwa Zebian
42. “Don’t worry about what will happen to your career if you take a stress leave. Worry about what will happen to you if you don’t.” Unknown
43. “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Neil Young
44. “As long as you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the burnout isn’t fatal.” Unknown
45. “When I take a break, even just a brief one, the creative energy flows in. Only then do I have anything of value to share with others. Once I recognized this, I stopped feeling guilty about taking time for myself.” Holly Mosier
46. “Don’t just climb the ladder of success – a ladder that leads, after all, to higher and higher levels of stress and burnout – but chart a new path to success, remaking it in a way that includes not just the conventional metrics of money and power, but a third metric that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving, so that the goal is not just to succeed but to thrive.” Arianna Huffington
47. “Take time today to pause, to linger, to quiet the noise and remember that your worth is not measured by your productivity.” Unknown
48. “Another technique I use when my job seems overwhelming is to keep it all in perspective by saying to myself: ‘My job is important but it only forms part of my life – it is not my entire life.” Catherine Pulsifer
49. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Stephen Covey
50. “Nothing is worth your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.” Steve Maraboli
51. “Rest is not idle, is not wasteful. Sometimes rest is the most productive thing you can do for body and soul.” Erica Layne
52. “We have to feed our loved ones, but at what cost. A dead man or woman can’t feed the living.” James Jean-Pierre
53. “We know that our bodies suffer from overwork and lack of leisure: anxiety, mental-health issues — we’re not designed to work more than about 40 hours a week. Our systems wear out and the quality of the work suffers. After 50 hours, it crashes and burns.” Katrina Onstad
54. “You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to turn your brain and body off. You are allowed to do what brings you pleasure without feeling shame or guilt or like you should be doing something “better.” Unknown
55. “We often hear of people breaking down from overwork, but in nine out of ten they are really suffering from worry or anxiety.” John Lubbock
56. “Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” Ralph Marston
57. “Take a break from the hustle and bustle. Relax and recharge your batteries.” Lailah Gifty Akita
58. “In these days half our diseases come from neglect of the body in overwork of the brain.” Edward Bulwer-Lytton
59. “Don’t confuse activity with productivity. Many people are simply busy being busy.” Robin Sharma
60. “There is virtue in work, and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” Alan Cohen
Final Thoughts
I hope these quotes about working too much will offer you solace if you’re burnt out from overwork. However, I understand overcoming burnout involves more than reading inspirational words.
You may spend days sunk in exhaustion, trying to recharge and gain perspective. Resting and reassessing your goals is crucial after burnout. The path back requires time for your mind, body, and spirit to renew.
My wish is that these sayings give you comfort and motivation to take the necessary break you need.
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