Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.

Ewing frames hard work as a kind of moral “revealer.” Faced with effort and responsibility, people tend to sort themselves into recognizable types: those who engage practically (“turn up their sleeves”), those who respond with disdain or superiority (“turn up their noses”), and those who evade commitment altogether (“don’t turn up at all”). The wit comes from the parallel phrasing, but the point is serious: character is less a matter of stated values than of habitual response to demanding tasks. The line also implies a social ethic—communities and workplaces depend on the first group, are hindered by the second, and are undermined by the third.