Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Health and Fitness
    2. Wellbeing

    11 inspiring celebrity quotes on work ethic

    Get inspired by these super successful women who prove that hard work really does pay off…

    By Marie Claire
    Published 11 October 2016 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Victoria Beckham
    Victoria Beckham
    (Image credit: Rex)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Get inspired by these super successful women who prove that hard work really does pay off…

    Words by Lizzie Lloyd-Wickens

    It’s easy to think that fortune favours the beautiful and too often we assume that Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham and Taylor Swift had their success handed to them. That assumption however, would be wrong.

    Here are our favourite quotes by 11 inspirational women who have got to where they are through motivation, determination and a lot of hard work…

    1. Heidi Klum

    You may like
    • Zara Larrson My Life In Balance Zara Larsson on Ambition, Being Unafraid of Redirection, and Finding Balance
    • Desiree Henry "I've Dealt With Negativity About My Muscles My Entire Life—But There's Power In Stepping Out Confidently In Your Body."
    • Some of the best female athletes in the world right now, plus the ones to watch, featuring Dina Asher Smith, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson, Serena Williams and Simone Biles 50 Influential Female Athletes To Know, Watch, and Follow—in 2026 and Beyond

    ‘It’s not as if I sit back and watch things fly onto my plate. I went for a lot of the things. Success doesn’t happen by waiting for things to happen because there are other people who are hungry. The early bird catches the worm.’

    2. Emma Watson

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    'I’m my own worst critic. I think that’s really hard, but it also spurs me on. I always want to do better. I’m always striving towards the next thing.'

    3. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

    ‘It’s just the way we are, the way we were raised. Our work ethic was everything, and that never left us. We like to work hard, and we like to try to do everything 100 percent.’

    What to read next
    • Luke Hersheson My Life In Hair I Spoke to the Super Stylist Behind Victoria Beckham's Iconic Bob—Here Are His Thoughts on Great Hair
    • Monikh Dale 4 Stylish Throw-On Outfits for Busy Mums Currently Juggling Kids’ School Holidays, Work and Everything In Between
    • Cece Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities

    Mary Kate and Ashley

    (Image credit: Rex)

    4. Sarah-Jessica Parker

    ‘We didn't have a lot when I was growing up, and it's the best thing that happened to me because I appreciate everything. I developed a strong work ethic, and I don't take anything for granted.’

    5. Victoria Beckham

    ‘I'll admit it: I'm a control freak. I am. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it 110% or there's no point in doing it at all, especially if the work takes me away from time with my husband and children.’

    6. Margot Robbie

    ‘Everyone's like, “overnight sensation” - It's not overnight. It's years of hard work.’

    Margot Robbie

    (Image credit: Rex)

    7. Beyoncé

    'I can never be safe. I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That's how I've gotten to where I am.'

    8. Kendall Jenner

    ‘Some people might think that what I've done before made it easier for me to get jobs, but it was actually a disadvantage. I had to work even harder.’

    9. Taylor Swift

    ‘My parents raised me to never feel like I was entitled to success, that you have to work for it. You have to work so hard for it. And sometimes you don't even get to where you need to go.’

    taylor-swift

    taylor-swift

    (Image credit: Rex)

    10. Lauren Conrad

    ‘There is never just one thing that leads to success for anyone. I feel it’s always a combination of passion, dedication, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time.’

    11. Cameron Diaz

    ‘I think that anything that you do, any accomplishment that you make, you have to work for. I can tell you that hard work pays off. It's not just a cliché.’

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Zara Larrson My Life In Balance
    Health and Fitness Zara Larsson on Ambition, Being Unafraid of Redirection, and Finding Balance
    Desiree Henry
    Fitness "I've Dealt With Negativity About My Muscles My Entire Life—But There's Power In Stepping Out Confidently In Your Body."
     
     
    Some of the best female athletes in the world right now, plus the ones to watch, featuring Dina Asher Smith, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson, Serena Williams and Simone Biles
    Fitness 50 Influential Female Athletes To Know, Watch, and Follow—in 2026 and Beyond
    Luke Hersheson My Life In Hair
    Hair I Spoke to the Super Stylist Behind Victoria Beckham's Iconic Bob—Here Are His Thoughts on Great Hair
     
     
    Latest in Wellbeing
    Eva Syti, yoga coach, ARC sauna leader and breathwork practitioner
    Wellbeing Most People Think They're Manifesting Correctly—But Usually Miss These 3 Essential Steps
    Health freelancer Anna Bartter treating friendship as a wellness habit: at a concert, at a bar, and with friends
    Wellbeing I Treated Friendship Like a Wellness Habit for Two Months—It Changed My Mental Health More Than I Expected
     
     
    Author of The Path Through Objects, Neuro-Somatic Performance Coach and Yoga Instructor Eva Syti
    Wellbeing I've Led 500+ Sauna Sessions in the Last 18 Months—Almost Every Client Makes These 3 Mistakes
    A woman stretching on a yoga mat
    Wellbeing Forget Morning Routines—Experts Say 'Micro-Recovery' Is the Wellness Habit to Prioritise
     
     
    Latest in Features
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
     
     
    Arsenal footballer and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Women in Sport 2026: Featuring Chloe Kelly, Elite Beauty Products, Grand Prix 2.0 and So Much More
    Mischa Anouk Smith on an astrology travel trip to Türkiye, where she got engaged less than 24 hours after a birth chart reading.
    Travel I Let Astrology Plan My Holiday—Less Than 24 Hours Later, I Was Engaged
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.