Who really said it
From Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat (1889), Chapter 15; wrongly credited to Oscar Wilde.
Last verified 8 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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Verified quote & credit
“I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours” — Jerome K. Jerome
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Evoking the world of Jerome K. Jerome — English humorist & novelist. Theme: "I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
It is not that I object to the work, mind you; I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart.
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Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.
Free public-domain e-text of the 1889 novel.
Sourced quotations page confirming the line and its Chapter 15 context.
Wilde's Misattributed section, which lists this line and credits Jerome.
Biography of the English humorist who wrote the line.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) (Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith, 1889), ch. 15.
Jerome, Jerome K. Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog). J. W. Arrowsmith, 1889.
Jerome, J. K. (1889). Three men in a boat (to say nothing of the dog). J. W. Arrowsmith.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours’?” Last verified 8 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/i-like-work-it-fascinates-me-i-can-sit-and-look-at-it-for