Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.

The line frames purposeful work—broadly understood as sustained effort toward goals beyond mere survival—as a primary source of meaning. It implies that fulfillment is not simply found in passive enjoyment or comfort, but in engaging one’s abilities in projects that matter, whether intellectual, creative, or practical. Read in light of Hawking’s public persona, it resonates with a modern, secular ethic: significance is made rather than given, and disciplined inquiry or contribution can anchor a life even amid limitation. The stark claim that life is “empty” without work is rhetorical, emphasizing the psychological and existential costs of aimlessness.