Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

This aphorism is commonly attributed to Thomas A. Edison, the prolific American inventor and industrial entrepreneur whose public persona emphasized persistence, experimentation, and the dignity of practical labor. It reflects the early-20th-century “self-made” ethos surrounding invention and business success, in which breakthroughs were framed less as flashes of genius than as the product of sustained effort in workshops and laboratories. The image of “overalls” evokes manual, shop-floor work—an implicit rebuttal to the idea that opportunity arrives in glamorous or effortless form. The saying circulated widely in quotation collections and motivational writing as a summary of Edison’s work-centered philosophy.

The quote argues that many people fail to recognize opportunity because they expect it to appear as luck, inspiration, or an obvious windfall. Instead, genuine opportunity often arrives disguised as demanding, unglamorous labor—tasks that require discipline, patience, and a willingness to get one’s hands dirty. By pairing “opportunity” with “overalls,” the line collapses the distinction between chance and work: the “chance” is frequently created by sustained effort. In a broader sense, it critiques passivity and romantic notions of success, suggesting that attentiveness to practical problems and readiness to work are what convert possibilities into achievements.

1) “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
2) “Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
3) “Most people miss opportunity because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.”