Inspiring Quotes on Work-Life Balance [Updated]

Many people with great careers command significant following and honour. This article portrays over 50 inspiring quotes on work-life balance.

Measuring the success of these high profile folks’ achievements and experience, you can call them icons. Unfortunately, the more success, the greater the challenges of balancing their work and life.

Most of them end up developing severe ailments that terminated not only their career but also their lives altogether. On the other hand, others messed up their built career when fatigue from work started to punish their souls.

Wait a minute, what dented their whole success stories? It’s quite simple: they failed to learn how to balance work and life!

Work-life balance is an indispensable practice that solidifies your entire life. However, it is not soft work, but the eventual outcome is worth the discipline.

Are you wondering how you can achieve a work-life balance without putting your career at risk? These days, more complications can set in when people learn the practical ways to balance work-life relationship.

This article shares and explains useful 50 inspiring quotes on work-life balance from the most celebrated connoisseurs worldwide.

It also discusses how we can apply the lessons from these quotes and how much they can change your life.

Before sharing the quotes, it’s good to have a clear understanding of what Work-Life Balance Is.

Work-Life Balance Definition

We will consider three definitions of work-life balance before we draw up famous quotes.

1. The simplest definition will be that work-life balance is the equilibrium between work and personal life. It refers to how career individuals manage the time they spend at work and outside work.
2. Achieving work-life balance means standing on the thin line between career and personal life to serve both ends legally.
3. Work-life balance also teaches how not to carry activities related to work over home activities and vice versa.

Besides, home activities could involve managing relationships, spending time with family, and doing your hobbies.

Others may include taking up special responsibilities or concentrating on other personal interests.

Can we have some professional definition?

Paul Krassner, an American author, and journalist, once revealed how anthropologists define happiness. According to them, happiness means having no differentiation between one’s professional and personal lives.

However, the various methods and strategies used to achieve this equilibrium add up to their work-life balance. Though the work-life balance is simple to define, many professionals find it challenging to achieve.

Many couldn’t even clearly state the margin not to talk of putting it into practice. Yet, others try to condition themselves to achieve it but falter along the line after a few days of practice.

In reality, they instead feel the ‘stress’ rather than the ‘balance’ of work-life relationship. At times, it appears seemingly unachievable. Are you a victim of the former or the latter?

Moreover, this article will help you find balance without hassle with the most trusted inspiring quotes on work-life balance.

55 Inspiring Quotes on Work-Life Balance

We carefully compiled these work-life balance quotes to help you find peace of mind working and living at your best.

So, whether as a career starter or you travelled miles already, you’ll get motivational, impactful, insightful, and inspiring quotes.

1. “Work-life balance is not an entitlement or benefit. Your company cannot give it to you. You have to create it for yourself.” – Matthew Kelly, Author.

2. Balance is not better time management but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” – Betsy Jacobson, Business Consultant.

3. “Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.” – Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State.

4. “Struggle doesn’t make success happen. In fact, the Struggle can prevent success from happening. If you seek a Struggle, you will find it. If you seek ease, you will find it.” – Rich Fettke, Success Coach & Author.

5. “Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.” – Gustave Flaubert, Writer.

Will you like to share your favourite quote of all time? Drop it in the comments.

6. “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends, and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.” – Brian Dyson, former Vice Chairman and COO of Coca-Cola.

7. “Be moderate to taste the joys of life in abundance.” – Epicurus, Philosopher.

8. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey, Author.

9. “You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” – Charles Buxton, Writer, and politician.

10. “Always take some of the play, fun, freedom, and wonder of the weekend into your week and your work.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru, Life Coach.

11. “Most people chase success at work, thinking that will make them happy. The truth is that happiness at work will make you successful.” – Alexander Kjerulf, “Chief Happiness Officer.

Which of the quotes above is your favourite? Just number it in the comments box.

12. “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” – Arianna Huffington, Co-founder, and Editor-In-Chief of The Huffington Post.

13. “I believe a balanced life is essential. And I try to make sure that all of our employees know that and live that way. It’s crucial to me as a manager to help ensure that our employees are as successful as our customers and partners. I also think that employees these days expect less of a separation of work and personal life. That doesn’t mean that work tasks should infringe upon our personal time, but it does mean that employees today expect more from the companies for whom they work. Why shouldn’t your workplace reflect your values? Why is ‘giving back’ not a part of our jobs? The answer for us is to integrate philanthropy with work.” – Marc Benioff, Chairman, and CEO of SalesForce.

14. “Those who feel satisfied with their personal lives are more satisfied with their careers and perform better. – Michael Hyatt

15. “You will never feel delighted with work until you are satisfied by life. – Heather Schuck

What is your favourite work principle? Drop in the comments box below.

16. “Work-life balance is about creating a life that flows with you rather than a life you have to power through. – Jaime Marie Wilson

17. “Invest in your work-life balance. Time with friends and family is as important as times at work. Getting that out of balance is a path toward unhappiness.” – Stephen Gillett

18. “Don’t take things too seriously. I would never devalue the importance of your business, but it’s not worth sacrificing your life for. – Ben Yoskovitz

19. “Burnout is about resentment. Preventing it is about knowing yourself well enough to know what it is you’re giving up that makes you resentful.” – Marissa Mayer

20. “A time for everything: a time to relax, and a time to be busy. A time to frolic and a time to labor. Also, a time to receive and a time to give, a time to begin and a time to finish.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie

21. “Balance activity with serenity, wealth and simplicity, persistence with innovation, community with solitude, familiarity with adventure, constancy with change, leading with following.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie

22. “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

Would you like to add your favourite quote in the comments section below?

23. “When I think about work-life balance, I don’t imagine it as a perfect day where I got to spend the exact right amount of time having an impact at work and snuggling with my kids at home. I never achieve that. But over a month, or a quarter, or a year, I try to make time for the people and experiences I value.” – Jane Park

24. “I like work/life separation, not work-life balance. What I mean by that is, if I’m on, I want to be on and maximally productive. If I’m off, I don’t want to think about work. When people strive for work-life balance, they end up blending them. That’s how you end up checking email all day Saturday.” ― Tim Ferriss

25. “The gift of balance in your life – may you find the balance of life, time for work but also time for play. Too much of one thing ends up creating stress that no one needs in their life.” – Catherine Pulsifer

26. “A person has got to balance work and life and family to be a balanced person.” ― J. O’Rourke

27. “Imagine working 20% smarter instead of 20% longer… Work-life balance and startup success at any stage aren’t mutually exclusive. There are enough hours in the day to be effective and present.” ― David Cummings

Who is your favourite author of all time?

28. “We have overstretched our personal boundaries and forgotten that true happiness comes from living an authentic life fueled with a sense of purpose and balance.” – Dr Kathleen Hall

29. Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, and integrity – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.” ― Gary Keller

30. “It’s up to us to take control and responsibility for the types of lives that we want to lead. If you don’t design your life, then someone else may design it for you, and you may not like their idea of balance.” ― Nigel Marsh

31. “The powers that technology and independent contracting give to workers enables them to take greater control of their careers to preserve work-life balance.” ― Elise Stefanik

32. “A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usual a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck, and vigorous work. It’s almost always a clumsy balance between the things you try to make happen and the things that happen to you.” ― Tom Freston

33. “Anyone who ends up being a leader of a large, complicated organization, whether you’re a male or a female, you’re working an immense amount of hours, and you can’t do everything. You can’t have a complete work-life balance.” ― Sandra E. Peterson

Do you have a personal quote you will like us to include? Drop it in the comments section. 

34. “When we work on carving out a balance in our lives, we are then shuttled to the superhighway of our best life fuelled by our intention. The power and confidence come from the knowledge that we can absolutely do something to achieve balance.” ― Tara Stiles

35. “Whichever Work you do, people go through life, having several priorities. I know my football is what got me here. The work I do for SOS or my charity work, in general, has always been a priority for me. My family is a priority as well, so you set yourself different things, and they balance each other out.” ― Vincent Kompany

36. “I’m a creative person. I love to write; I love to act; also, I love to perform. I love to create things with my hands. So I do all of these things that are kind of like hobbies in a way. They’re things that I love, so it’s not like a work-life balance; it’s just a work-life marriage.” ― Krysten Ritter

Do you often find it difficult to concentrate at work due to other life issues? Let’s know in the comments

37. Balance, in general, is difficult, but I refuse to go through life and work without having the right balance. I want to be an example. Not only to my children but also to artists and other entrepreneurs that you can be a workaholic and also be a good husband and good father.” ― Scooter Braun

38. “You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do.” – Katie Thurmes

39. “When you’re gone, would you rather have your gravestone say, ‘he never missed a meeting?’ or one that said, ‘he was a great father.'” – Steve Blank, Author.

40. “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

41. “Work, love, and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being.” – Orison Swett Marden

42. “I have so much admiration for women who are mothers, who balance family and work.” – Beyoncé

43. “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen Covey, Author.

44. “You can have it all. You can’t have it all at once.” – Oprah Winfrey

Will you like to pause and meditate on some of these quotes?

45. “A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night.” – Marilyn Monroe, Actress.

46. “If you want to change the world, go home, and love your family.” – Mother Teresa

47. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler, Motivational Speaker.

48. “You don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful. It’s natural to look back and mythologize the long nights and manic moments of genius. Still, success isn’t about working hard, and it’s about working smart.” ―Andrew Wilkinson, founder of MetaLab

49. “Take care of yourself: When you don’t sleep, eat crap, don’t exercise, and are living off adrenaline for too long, your performance suffers. Your decisions suffer. Your company suffers. Love those close to you: Failure of your company is not a failure in life. Failure in your relationship is.” ―Ev Williams, co-founder of Medium and Twitter

50. “So find your rhythm, understand what makes you resentful, and protect it. You can’t have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you. And thinking that way empowers you to work really hard for a really long period.” ―Marissa Mayer, president, and CEO of Yahoo

What more will you like us to include in this article? Let’s know in the comments section

51. “Over time, I’ve found two things to be very important. This is a bit cliche, and everybody says this, but it’s really true: Rest is essential. And time off is significant. Most people that I know do their best work after proper rest.” – Gonçalo Silva, CTO of Doist

52. Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” — Carl Sandburg

53. “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton

54. Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.” – Shonda Rhimes

55. “Self-care is fundamentally about bringing balance back to a life that has grown imbalanced by too many commitments or responsibilities.” – Robyn L. Gobin

Final Thoughts

In summary, achieving a work-life balance means living the best quality of life, and the quotes above can help you. I firmly believe these quotes will help you find happiness and love to succeed in your personal and professional life.

Remember to share to help other people who are losing their personal life to serve their career needs.