A Man Who Loved His Work

The term “I love my work!” is a delight to hear in modern times—when so many workers don’t. As a catchphrase, it turns up in varied contexts. For example, it was uttered by Porthos the Pirate in a particularly funny action scene in the 1992 film version of The Three Musketeers.

One (all too) true-life figure who professed to love his work was Jack the Ripper. In a euphoric, taunting note to London police, he bragged, “I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me and my funny little games.” The Ripper seemed to approach his serial savagery as a profession. In other notes to police, he often stated his eagerness to return “to work.”

More than a century later, armchair sleuths continue to probe and debate the identity of one of history’s most infamous “workers.”