--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a good amateur but only an average…" description: "\"I was a good amateur but only an average professional. I soon realized that there was a limit to how far I could rise in the music business, so I left ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/alan-greenspan-1834_amateur_i-was-a-good-amateur-but-only-an-average_1975684.png" --- # I was a good amateur but only an average professional. I… ![“I was a good amateur but only an average professional. I soon realized that there was a limit to how far I could rise in the music business, so I left the band and enrolled at New York University.” quote by Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/alan-greenspan-1834_amateur_i-was-a-good-amateur-but-only-an-average_1975684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/alan-greenspan-1834_amateur_i-was-a-good-amateur-but-only-an-average_1975684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97f/alan-greenspan-1834_amateur_i-was-a-good-amateur-but-only-an-average_1975684.png) > “I was a good amateur but only an average professional. I soon realized that there was a limit to how far I could rise in the music business, so I left the band and enrolled at New York University.” [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges early talent but admits a ceiling in the music industry, prompting a career shift to academia. **In simple terms:** He left music for education after recognizing limits. Key Takeaway Recognize limits and pivot wisely. Themes self‑assessment career change education Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type career personal development When to use this quote - career transition - skill development - higher education Key Concepts human capital industry limits Questions to Reflect On - What limits have you encountered? - How can you leverage existing skills in a new field? A Different Perspective Changing fields can involve financial risk and identity challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Music business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-business/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [Just because you are a good amateur, it doesn't mean you're going to be a good professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-degale/just-because-you-are-a-good-amateur-it-doesn-t-mean-you-re-going-to/) [James DeGale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-degale/) > [I was a fairly good amateur musician, and I was an average professional. But the one thing I saw was that the big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-was-a-fairly-good-amateur-musician-and-i-was-an-average-2/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“When I was a senior in high school, I was playing in this local band in our town, and I really wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-seals/when-i-was-a-senior-in-high-school-i-was-playing-in-this-local-band/) Pat Seals > [I was a fairly good amateur musician, and I was an average professional. But the one thing I saw was that the big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-was-a-fairly-good-amateur-musician-and-i-was-an-average/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Amateurs want to be right. Professionals want to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/amateurs-want-to-be-right-professionals-want-to-make-money/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [The only thing that was economic, I might say, about my music career, aside from the fact that I did everybody's tax returns in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/the-only-thing-that-was-economic-i-might-say-about-my-music-career/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I'm definitely an anomaly, but I'm making things. They're selling, say, martinis, and I'm kind of making vintage Riesling. People aren't going to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/i-m-definitely-an-anomaly-but-i-m-making-things-they-re-selling-say/) [Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/) > [We ought to be opening up our borders to skilled labour from all parts of the world because \[the state of the world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/we-ought-to-be-opening-up-our-borders-to-skilled-labour-from-all/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) ## More by Alan Greenspan > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [At the risk of some oversimplification, if the skill composition of our work force meshed fully with the needs of our increasingly complex capital-stock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-risk-of-some-oversimplification-if-the-skill-composition-of/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [To succeed, you will soon learn, as I did, the importance of a solid foundation in the basics of education - literacy, both verbal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/to-succeed-you-will-soon-learn-as-i-did-the-importance-of-a-solid/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I've always argued that this country has benefited immensely from the fact that we draw people from all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-ve-always-argued-that-this-country-has-benefited-immensely-from-the/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I cannot conceive of a politically feasible solution to this problem which will overdo cutting the deficit, where overdoing means harming the economy. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-cannot-conceive-of-a-politically-feasible-solution-to-this-problem/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Before I met Ayn Rand, I was a logical positivist, and accordingly, I didn't believe in absolutes, moral or otherwise. If I couldn't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/before-i-met-ayn-rand-i-was-a-logical-positivist-and-accordingly-i/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [ Skilled shortages in America exist because we are shielding our skilled labor force from world competition. \[Visa quotas\] have been substituted for the wage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/skilled-shortages-in-america-exist-because-we-are-shielding-our/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [A decline in the national housing price level would need to be substantial to trigger a significant rise in foreclosures, because the vast majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/a-decline-in-the-national-housing-price-level-would-need-to-be/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Although the outlook is clouded by a number of uncertainties, the central tendencies of the projections .. imply continued good economic performance in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/although-the-outlook-is-clouded-by-a-number-of-uncertainties-the/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [At the outset of the creation of the euro in 1999, it was expected that the southern eurozone economies would behave like those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-outset-of-the-creation-of-the-euro-in-1999-it-was-expected/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [We may be in a rapidly evolving international financial system with all the bells and whistles of the so-called new economy. But the old-economy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/we-may-be-in-a-rapidly-evolving-international-financial-system-with/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [The guiding purpose of the government regulator is to prevent rather than to create something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/the-guiding-purpose-of-the-government-regulator-is-to-prevent-rather/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“government regulation cannot substitute for individual integrity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/government-regulation-cannot-substitute-for-individual-integrity/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [...our market system depends critically on trust-trust in the word of our colleagues and trust in the word of those with whom we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/our-market-system-depends-critically-on-trust-trust-in-the-word-of/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [It's hard to overemphasize how important Ford's deregulation was. True, most of the benefits took years to unfold-rail freight rates, for example hardly budged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/it-s-hard-to-overemphasize-how-important-ford-s-deregulation-was-true/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) [Explore all 204 Alan Greenspan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) David Barringer > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a good amateur but only an average professional. 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