40+ Mike Rowe Quotes

Mike Rowe hosts the Discovery Channel show 'Dirty Jobs.'

He is also an actor. Most of the Mike Rowe quotes have been extracted from his host section of 'Dirty Jobs.'

Several interviews with Mike Rowe have proved that he represents the entire nation of America. His concerns and statements are relatable, as well as his concerns for the nation's future. These Mike Rowe quotes will let you take a drive into the mind of this talented individual.

The following Mike Rowe quotes show you the sharp wit of a person who never fails to inspire the youth!

"You've got a lot of very, very smart people standing by waiting for somebody else to do the work. Not a recipe for long-term solvency in my opinion."

"I wouldn't wish any specific thing for any specific person - it's none of my business. But the idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane. It's insane."

- 'Cleaning up 'Dirty Jobs', 2011.

"I can say the willingness to get dirty has always defined us as a nation, and it's a hallmark of hard work and a hallmark of fun, and dirt is not the enemy."

"Standing next to Rhonda, I would look into the camera and riff about the unsung heroes of Dirty Jobs. I'd conclude with a pointed question: "So, what's on your pedestal?"

- 'The Way I Heard It.'

"Short-cuts lead to long delays."

"Not all knowledge comes from college."

- 'The Lead', 2014.

"The flaw in our character is our insistence on separating blue-collar jobs from white-collar jobs, and encouraging one form of education over another."

- 'Good Magazine: America’s Dirtiest Interview', 2010.

"I think a trillion dollars of student loans and a massive skills gap are precisely what happens to a society that actively promotes one form of education as the best course for most people."

"Michael Brown and Eric Garner died because they got into a confrontation that could have been easily avoided. That's what made their deaths so tragic."

"I think the stigmas and stereotypes that keep so many people from pursuing a truly useful skill, begin with the mistaken belief that a four-year degree is somehow superior to all other forms of learning."

"Some jobs are just too hideous to contemplate."

This collection of inspirational Mike Rowe quotes shows you his take on hard work, passion, and life.

"Work hard AND smart."

"The search for truth in cyberspace will take you through the wormhole, and there's nothing on the other side but pedants and nitpickers and bottomless ambiguity. If you're not careful, you'll spend all your time proving everything and understanding nothing."

"We passed, we shared the ball and we were unselfish. I thought that today would have been 'me, me, me.' I'm glad it wasn't. There were a lot of kids passing the ball, being unselfish, which for our program is huge."

"Don't follow your passion, but always bring it with you."

- 'EXCLUSIVE: Mike Rowe Talks About Stupid Platitudes, Presidential Runs, And How Following Your Passion Is Dumb', 2011.

"What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you."

- 'The 'big lesson' Mike Rowe learned several hundred times', 2014.

"Opportunity usually shows up in overalls and looks like work."

"Some jobs pay better, some jobs smell better, and some jobs have no business being treated like careers. But work is never the enemy, regardless of the wage."

"So you're saying that after I take a disappointing shower I should get in bed and lay there and weep?"

"Innovation without imitation is a complete waste of time."

"Why worry about doing something you love? Figure out what the opportunity is. Find a thing, get good at it, learn to love it later."

"I'm allergic to rocks hitting me in the face."

There are several lessons from Rowe's take on the working class and how they lead their lives. These Mike Rowe quotes dig deep into his mindset.

"I'm looking forward to the future, and feeling grateful for the past."

- 'A Turkey Without a Pardon: Bidding Farewell to Dirty Jobs', 2012.

"Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs."

"Many people today resent the suggestion that they’re in charge of the way they feel. Those people are mistaken."

"Our country is currently obsessed with determining the difference between a 'good job' and a 'bad job' because we have become convinced that the road to 'job satisfaction' is dependent on the job itself."

"How are we ever going to accomplish anything in this incredibly divisive time if we associate only with people that we don't disagree with?"

"To me, we're living in a non-linear world... But the truth is we are linear creatures. Everything unfolds one after the next. And that's the thing we've become disconnected from."

"People with dirty jobs are happier than you think. As a group, they're the happiest people I know."

- 'Are People With 'Dirty Jobs' The Most Successful?', 2013.

"Anything worth doing hurts a little."

"Dirt used to be a badge of honor. Dirt used to look like work."

- 'Cleaning up 'Dirty Jobs'',2011.

" What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you."

- 'The 'big lesson' Mike Rowe learned several hundred times', 2014.

Being very vocal about the rights of children and citizens, these Mike Rowe Quotes can brighten up your mood immediately!

"We are lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist".

"The one thing that TV is bad at doing is preaching. There are two extremes, you either turn the people into a punchline or turn them into heroes, and both of those things suck, because most people are neither in real life."

"If we are lending money that ostensibly we don't have to kids who have no hope of making it back in order to train them for jobs that clearly don't exist, I might suggest that we've gone around the bend a little bit."

"Dirty Jobs' is a fun, simple little show with huge themes under it. For me, it's penance, it's redemption, it's a sweaty mess".

"Attitude, attitude, attitude. You can't teach it; either you have it or you don't."

"The skills gap is a reflection of what we value. To close the gap, we need to change the way the country feels about work."

- Mike Rowe's Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2011.

"Personally, I don’t mind being corrected, even when I’m right. It’s nice to know that people are paying attention. But when I am corrected, I prefer it to be in the style of Lieutenant Dixon. He didn’t scold the GI for confusing Mozart with Beethoven. He wasn’t haughty, pedantic, or disappointed. His words came with no apologies, no exclamation points, and no attempt to lord his knowledge over his men."

- 'The Way I Heard It.'

"Why does a chicken coop only have two doors? ... Because if it had four doors, it would be a chicken sedan."

"People like to cherry-pick the parts of their career that they're either in the midst of or that they're the proudest of, but the truth is careers and lives are tapestries."

“There's really not a difference between an octopus and, like, a giant pile of snot.”