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Thursday motivational quotes: 60 real quotes for work, plus 40 messages we wrote

Quotes and posts for a Thursday at work, each with a copy button.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated 12 min read
An open notebook, a pen and a cup of coffee on a sunlit wooden desk beside a laptop and a plant.

Most lists of Thursday motivational quotes repeat the same unsourced lines, and a few put the wrong name under them. These 60 were checked one by one, against the speaker's own book, letter or interview, or the sourced section of their Wikiquote page. Only three have anything to do with Thursday, because real ones are rare and we didn't make any up. The rest fit what a Thursday at work is for: finishing, keeping going, a little patience and a little thanks. Below them are 40 Thursday messages we wrote for your team channel, a four-week posting plan and a short guide to a Thursday ritual nobody rolls their eyes at.

Quotes about Thursdays (the real ones)

Real quotes almost never mention Thursday, and we didn't invent any. These three do, or come close: Arthur Dent's line from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, an exchange from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and a line from G. K. Chesterton's 1908 novel The Man Who Was Thursday.

  1. This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

    Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide

  2. ‘What's so gruesome about Thursday?’ ‘Nothing, except I can never remember when it's coming up.’

    Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961 film

  3. Always be comic in a tragedy. What the deuce else can you do?

    G. K. Chesterton, writer

Thursday morning motivational quotes

Pick one as your Thursday quote of the day: the first post in the channel, the top of the standup or the note on your own desk.

  1. I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.

    E. B. White, essayist

  2. Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.

    Henry David Thoreau, essayist

  3. Forever is composed of Nows.

    Emily Dickinson, poet

  4. He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin!

    Horace, Roman poet

  5. Morning is wonderful. Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day.

    Glen Cook, fantasy novelist

  6. A fine morning, Nothing's the matter with it that I know of. I have seen better and I have seen worse.

    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet

  7. It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.

    Aesop, fable writer

  8. Let's go!

    Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut

Thursday motivational quotes for work: finishing, keeping going and patience

Thursday inspirational quotes for the last full day of the working week, sorted by what the week needs from you.

On finishing the week strong

Thursday is the last full day to close what the week opened. Quotes about deadlines, follow-through and the last stretch.

  1. It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish.

    J. R. R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

  2. If I'm gonna be a champion, I want to win as a champion. I'm staying in to the end.

    Ted Williams, Red Sox hitter

  3. It ain't over till it's over.

    Yogi Berra, Yankees catcher

  4. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.

    Albert Einstein, physicist

  5. He says the best way out is always through.

    Robert Frost, poet

  6. So as long as there's a chance that maybe I can hammer out a little justice now and then, or a little opportunity here and there, I intend to do as I always have: keep swinging.

    Hank Aaron, home run king

  7. Victory awaits him who has everything in order: luck, people call it.

    Roald Amundsen, polar explorer

  8. I don't need time. What I need is a deadline!

    Duke Ellington, jazz composer

  9. A self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood.

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer

  10. Nothing is particularly hard if you subdivide it into small jobs.

    Henry Ford, Ford Motor founder

  11. Leave no stone unturned.

    Euripides, Greek playwright

On keeping going

Thursday inspiring quotes for the week that's gone sideways. Most of these say the same thing in different centuries: small steps add up. Jacob Riis's stonecutter line is better known in a shorter, reworded form; this is what he wrote.

  1. Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

    Vincent van Gogh, painter

  2. A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules.

    Anthony Trollope, novelist

  3. All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance.

    Samuel Johnson, lexicographer

  4. Drops of water hollow out a stone.

    Ovid, Roman poet

  5. It's dogged as does it. It's not thinking about it.

    Anthony Trollope, novelist

  6. No thing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig.

    Epictetus, Stoic philosopher

  7. Practice is the best of all instructors.

    Publilius Syrus, Roman writer

  8. A step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction.

    Kurt Vonnegut, novelist

  9. If you should put even a little on a little, and should do this often, soon this too would become big.

    Hesiod, Greek poet

  10. Many strokes, though with a little axe, Hew down and fell the hardest-timber'd oak.

    William Shakespeare, playwright

  11. Yet at the hundred and first blow it would split in two, and I knew it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before together.

    Jacob Riis, journalist and reformer

  12. But still try, for who knows what is possible...

    Michael Faraday, scientist

On patience, when Friday still feels far

For waiting on a reply, a review or a result that won't come any faster for being chased.

  1. The strongest of all warriors are these two: Time and Patience.

    Leo Tolstoy, novelist

  2. He that can have patience can have what he will.

    Benjamin Franklin, American founder

  3. Patience is a necessary ingredient of genius.

    Benjamin Disraeli, British novelist and statesman

  4. Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.

    E. B. White, Charlotte's Web

  5. Slow and steady wins the race.

    Aesop, fable writer

  6. Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod.

    William Shakespeare, playwright

  7. How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?

    William Shakespeare, playwright

  8. Patience is the art of hoping.

    Vauvenargues, French moralist

  9. It's easy finding reasons why other folks should be patient.

    George Eliot, novelist

Thankful Thursday quotes

Thankful Thursday is a weekly habit of posting thanks. These quotes open the post; the thank-you itself should be yours.

  1. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.

    Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author

  2. When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

    Willie Nelson, country singer

  3. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

    Melody Beattie, self-help author

  4. Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

    Charles Dickens, novelist

  5. Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.

    Mary Oliver, poet

  6. For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.

    Elie Wiesel, author and Nobel laureate

  7. Let the man, who would be grateful, think of repaying a kindness, even while receiving it.

    Seneca, Stoic philosopher

  8. I am grateful for what I am & have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.

    Henry David Thoreau, essayist

Funny Thursday quotes for work

The joke is on time, procrastination and the week itself, never on a person. Eeyore even counts the days to Friday.

  1. We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Strike that! Reverse it!

    Roald Dahl, children's author

  2. I make it seventeen days come Friday since anybody spoke to me.

    A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh author

  3. Don't look back: something might be gaining on you.

    Satchel Paige, baseball pitcher

  4. Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

    Will Rogers, humorist

  5. Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

    Don Marquis, humorist

  6. ‘I will go today’ is what a herdsman says; I will go tomorrow is what a shepherd-boy says. I will go is I will go, and the time passes.

    Sumerian proverb, about 4,000 years old

  7. There's great value in being able to step back and laugh at yourself, at life and at attitudes. Laughter helps you put everything into perspective.

    Jim Henson, Muppets creator

  8. Procrastination is the thief of time.

    Edward Young, poet

  9. Never put off till to-morrow what you can do day after to-morrow just as well.

    Mark Twain, humorist

40 Thursday messages we wrote

These are ours, not quotes, so they carry no name. Post one as written, or fill in the brackets with a real name and a real moment from the week.

Thursday motivation for the team channel

For whoever posts first on a Thursday. Most end with something easy to reply to.

  1. It's Thursday. What's the one thing you'd love off your plate by tomorrow afternoon? Start there.

  2. Thursday check: the week isn't over, and neither are we. One more good push.

  3. Most weeks are won on Thursday. Close one loop today and Friday takes care of itself.

  4. Small reminder for a Thursday: a finished draft beats a perfect plan. Send it.

  5. Thursday is for finishing what Monday started. Who needs a hand with theirs?

  6. If this week got away from you, Thursday is a fine day to take it back. One task, then the next.

  7. This or that Thursday: hard task first, or save it for last? Reply with one word.

  8. Thursday goal: leave tomorrow-you a short list and a clear desk.

Almost Friday lines

Light, short and safe for any channel.

  1. Almost Friday. Not Friday. But almost.

  2. Thursday: Friday's opening act. Give it a good show.

  3. The weekend can see us from here. Wave, then keep working.

  4. Thursday is just Friday checking that we're still paying attention.

  5. One more sleep until Friday. Finish today's work so it stays out of your Saturday.

  6. Home stretch. Pace yourself, finish strong, then go enjoy your weekend.

  7. Thursday energy: too late to start something huge, just right to finish something good.

  8. Today's forecast: mostly productive, with a strong chance of Friday tomorrow.

Thankful Thursday notes and prompts

Fill in the brackets, or post the question and let the team answer in the thread.

  1. Thankful Thursday: who made your week easier? Tag them and say how.

  2. This Thankful Thursday goes to [name] for [what they did]. I noticed, and it helped.

  3. It's Thankful Thursday. What's one small win from this week you'd hate to see go unnoticed?

  4. Grateful for this team today, and for everyone's patience during a busy week.

  5. Thankful Thursday: thank you to whoever restocked the coffee. You know who you are.

  6. This week I'm thankful for the customer who wrote back just to say thanks. Here's what they said: [quote].

  7. Thankful Thursday prompt: name a tool, a teammate or a habit that saved you time this week.

  8. Before the week ends, send the thank-you you've been meaning to send. Consider this your reminder.

Throwback Thursday prompts for a team channel

Throwback Thursday (#TBT) usually means old photos. At work it's a gentle way to learn about each other.

  1. Throwback Thursday: post a photo of your first desk, home office or work badge.

  2. #TBT: what was your very first job, and what did it teach you that you still use?

  3. Throwback Thursday: share the oldest file you can find on your laptop. No peeking inside required.

  4. TBT prompt: share a piece of work from last year you'd still put your name on today.

  5. Throwback Thursday: what did this team look like when you joined? Old photos welcome.

  6. #TBT: the clunkiest piece of tech you ever had to use at work. Bonus points for a photo.

  7. Throwback Thursday: what's the best advice you got in your first month here, and who gave it?

  8. TBT: what were you doing for work five years ago today? Guesses from the team first.

For a manager to post

Clear blockers, collect wins and protect Friday afternoon.

  1. Thanks for a strong week so far. If anything is blocking you before Friday, tell me today and I'll clear it.

  2. It's Thursday, so here's permission to drop one low-value task this week. Tell me which one.

  3. Proud of how this team handled this week. Let's finish strong and log off on time tomorrow.

  4. Quick Thursday ask: reply with one win from this week, however small. I'll share the list tomorrow.

  5. If you're behind, now is the best time to say so, not Friday at 5. No judgment, just tell me.

  6. Reminder: no meetings after 2 tomorrow. Use today to wrap up anything that needs a second person.

  7. Thursday thank-you: [name] stepped in on [task] this week and saved us a day. Thank you.

  8. Let's protect tomorrow afternoon. Get reviews in today, and Friday can be for finishing touches.

A 4-week plan of Thursday posts for your team channel

Three posts each Thursday: a quote at 9, a prompt at noon and a closer at 3. Copy a week, paste it into your calendar or a scheduled message, and you're set for a month.

  1. Week 1, Thursday 9 a.m.: “Nothing is particularly hard if you subdivide it into small jobs.” (Henry Ford) Noon: Thankful Thursday: who made your week easier? Tag them and say how. 3 p.m.: Thursday energy: too late to start something huge, just right to finish something good.

  2. Week 2, Thursday 9 a.m.: “This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.” (Douglas Adams) Noon: Throwback Thursday: post a photo of your first desk, home office or work badge. 3 p.m.: Quick Thursday ask: reply with one win from this week, however small. I'll share the list tomorrow.

  3. Week 3, Thursday 9 a.m.: “A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules.” (Anthony Trollope) Noon: Thankful Thursday prompt: name a tool, a teammate or a habit that saved you time this week. 3 p.m.: This or that Thursday: hard task first, or save it for last? Reply with one word.

  4. Week 4, Thursday 9 a.m.: “Morning is wonderful. Its only drawback is that it comes at such an inconvenient time of day.” (Glen Cook) Noon: #TBT: what was your very first job, and what did it teach you that you still use? 3 p.m.: Thursday goal: leave tomorrow-you a short list and a clear desk.

Want a fresh line on the other days too? Our quote of the day for work picks a checked quote every morning, and the noon slot works with any of our this or that questions.

How to run a Thursday ritual that isn't cringe

A weekly post only works if people want to read it. Six habits that keep it from turning into noise.

Four coworkers laugh over coffee and pastries at the counter of a bright office kitchen.
  1. Same time, same place. Post at the same time every Thursday, in the same channel. A habit people expect feels like part of the week; a surprise post feels like an interruption.
  2. One quote, one question. A quote alone is a poster. Add one easy question, such as “What's the one thing you're finishing today?”, and the thread does the rest.
  3. Rotate who posts. Hand the Thursday post to a different person each week. It stops feeling like a message from management, and people pick better quotes than you'd expect.
  4. Keep it optional and light. Never track who replies or call out who didn't. Reading it and moving on is a fine way to take part.
  5. Thank people by name. Thankful Thursday works when the thanks is specific: who did what, and what it changed. A general “thanks, everyone” every week wears thin.
  6. Retire what flops. If a prompt gets two replies, drop it. If Throwback Thursday photos get twenty, do them every other week.

Thursday posts land best as part of a week with a shape: something to start it, like our Monday motivation messages, and something light to end it, like fun fact Friday.

A Thursday afternoon game for the team

When a quote in the channel isn't enough, give the team a real break. A live host can run an hour on your video call, on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request). Bingo & Beyond opens with team mini-games, and the better your team does in them, the better your odds in the final bingo round. Trivia with a Twist mixes in challenges beyond the questions, and our virtual trivia page lists six hosted quiz games. A Thursday slot leaves Friday free. Teams across time zones can book two sessions so nobody joins at midnight. Book about 2 weeks ahead, and if you're planning a holiday party, December dates fill first.

Planning the day after instead? Here are our fun Friday ideas.

Two hosted hours for a Thursday afternoon, with today's prices. Get a free quote with your date and headcount.

Thursday motivational quotes FAQ

What's a good quote for Thursday at work?

Anthony Trollope's “A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules” suits the end of a long week, and Henry Ford's “Nothing is particularly hard if you subdivide it into small jobs” is a good push for a to-do list. For quotes that fit any day, see our motivational quotes for work.

Are there any real quotes about Thursday?

A few. The best known is Arthur Dent's “This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays” from Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979). Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) has another. Many “Thursday quotes” online carry no source at all, so we kept only the ones we could trace.

What does “Thursday's child has far to go” mean?

It comes from the fortune-telling rhyme “Monday's Child”, first recorded in A. E. Bray's Traditions of Devonshire (1838), which gives each weekday's child a trait. The rhyme doesn't explain the line, so people read it as a long journey or a lot of ambition. It isn't a quote from a person, which is why it isn't in our list.

What should I post on a Thursday at work?

One quote with one easy question, a Thankful Thursday shout-out, a Throwback Thursday prompt or a wins thread all work. Our four-week plan mixes them so the posts don't repeat. To start the week the same way, see our Monday motivation messages.

What is Thankful Thursday?

Thankful Thursday is an informal habit of posting thanks on Thursdays, on social media or in a team channel. At work it's simplest as a weekly thread: one person thanks someone by name for something specific, and others add their own.

Did Aristotle say “We are what we repeatedly do”?

No. Wikiquote lists it as misattributed: the line is Will Durant's summary of Aristotle's ethics in The Story of Philosophy (1926), not a translation of anything Aristotle wrote. It shows up on many Thursday lists, which is why we mention it.

Did Mark Twain say “The secret of getting ahead is getting started”?

There's no record of it. Wikiquote lists it as misattributed, noting that it's credited to Twain mostly in post-2000 inspirational books and that the first sentence has also been credited to Agatha Christie and others. For a checked quote every day, try our quote of the day for work.

Give the team a Thursday afternoon break

A live host runs an hour of bingo or trivia on your video call. Send your date and headcount for a plan within 24 hours.

See virtual triviaGet a free quote