labour of love

labour of love

Meaning

• a task done for the pleasure of doing it, not for gains or rewards
• hard work done because you enjoy doing it
• work done for pleasure or for the benefit of someone you love

Example Sentences

1. Every morning, he dusted, cleaned and wound up the old grandfather clock that he had inherited as a family heirloom. It was truly a labour of love.
2. After his first book was published, the author said in an interview that he had greatly enjoyed writing it, and that it was a labour of love.
3. The famous painter gifted his most beautiful painting to his wife, saying that it was a labour of love and was not for sale.
4. He loved his garden and maintained it with great care. It was a real labour of love and it was a pleasure watching him work in the garden.
5. It took him years to refurbish his ancestral house and make it liveable again, but in the end he did it and it was true labour of love.
6. The aquarium he built for his wife was a labour of love, and she loved to sit in front of it and watch the fishes.

Origin
This phrase originated in the Bible and first appears in the King James Version (KJV) also known as the Authorized Version, which is the English translation of the Bible, written from 1604 to 1611.