Who said “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”?

Verified

Lord Chesterfield. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774), 10 March 1746

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”
— Lord Chesterfield
VerifiedLetters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774), 10 March 1746 · evidenceWorth
Report

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774), 10 March 1746.

APA

Chesterfield, L. (n.d.). Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/42752-whatever-is-worth-doing-at-all-is-worth/

MLA

Chesterfield, Lord. “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/42752-whatever-is-worth-doing-at-all-is-worth/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Chesterfield, Lord. “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/42752-whatever-is-worth-doing-at-all-is-worth/.

Related quotes

“Worth begets in base minds, envy; in great souls, emulation.”
— Henry Fielding
Worth
Report

More quotes by Lord Chesterfield

“Be wiser than other people, if you can; but do not tell them so.”
VerifiedLetters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774), 19 November 1745 · evidenceDetails & citeDiscretion
Report
“Manners must adorn knowledge, and smooth its way through the world.”
VerifiedLetters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774), 1 July 1748 · evidenceDetails & citeManners
Report
“Speak of the moderns without contempt, and of the ancients without idolatry.”
VerifiedLetters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman (1774), 22 February 1748 · evidenceDetails & citeLiterature
Report
All 89 Lord Chesterfield quotes →