--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first time that I came to New York to…" description: "\"The first time that I came to New York to work properly was the mid-'80s, but I was doing eight shows a week. You have no life. Going to a punk rock cl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg" --- # The first time that I came to New York to work properly… ![“The first time that I came to New York to work properly was the mid-'80s, but I was doing eight shows a week. You have no life. Going to a punk rock club - or whatever the music was at that time - would not have been on my agenda.” quote by Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg) > “The first time that I came to New York to work properly was the mid-'80s, but I was doing eight shows a week. You have no life. Going to a punk rock club - or whatever the music was at that time - would not have been on my agenda.” [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes an intense work schedule in New York that left no personal time, highlighting the sacrifices of early career dedication. **In simple terms:** A demanding job can erase personal life. Key Takeaway Balance work with personal time. Themes career work-life balance dedication Mood exhausted reflective Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - early career - night shifts - performing arts - personal health Key Concepts time management burnout career ambition Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect personal time while pursuing demanding work? - What boundaries help maintain health? A Different Perspective Sustaining such a pace can lead to burnout and health issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [80s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) [80S Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/80s-doing-3509854/) [Agendas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agendas/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Doing Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-shows/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Going Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-punk-1492096/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punk/) [Punk rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punk-rock/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Week Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week-life-3019729/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I was a choreographer in the '80s and I was doing these videos. I did an Extreme video, which was really weird having them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-shankman/i-was-a-choreographer-in-the-80s-and-i-was-doing-these-videos-i-did/) [Adam Shankman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-shankman/) > [In high school I was good at math and everybody wanted me to do something with that - mathematics or engineering - which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-owens/in-high-school-i-was-good-at-math-and-everybody-wanted-me-to-do/) [Laura Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-owens/) > [Where there is young people and vitality, you're going to find punk rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/where-there-is-young-people-and-vitality-you-re-going-to-find-punk/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I absolutely wasn't going to write a book if it was just going to be about punk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-absolutely-wasn-t-going-to-write-a-book-if-it-was-just-going-to-be/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I grew up going to punk shows, that kind of thing - I don't wanna make pop punk! - but I like the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grimes/i-grew-up-going-to-punk-shows-that-kind-of-thing-i-don-t-wanna-make/) [Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grimes/) > [I love sweets. Like, every week of my life, I've had a cheat day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/i-love-sweets-like-every-week-of-my-life-i-ve-had-a-cheat-day/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [Here is my wish for you and every other child, woman, and man on the face of the earth: Spend one week saying only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheri-huber/here-is-my-wish-for-you-and-every-other-child-woman-and-man-on-the/) [Cheri Huber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheri-huber/) > [I've been overlooked, praised, questioned, lauded, labeled, celebrated, and derided - sometimes all in the span of a single week. That's life in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-foles/i-ve-been-overlooked-praised-questioned-lauded-labeled-celebrated-and/) [Nick Foles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-foles/) > [No week is ever the same in my world! An average week in my life changes based on my shooting schedule, if I'm promoting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shemar-moore/no-week-is-ever-the-same-in-my-world-an-average-week-in-my-life/) [Shemar Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shemar-moore/) > [Encouragement is awesome. It (can) actually change the course of another person's day, week, or life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/encouragement-is-awesome-it-can-actually-change-the-course-of-another/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [You know when you meet that one girl in your life and you try everything just to make her smile? or even just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james/you-know-when-you-meet-that-one-girl-in-your-life-and-you-try/) [James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james/) > [“You should never have a job that you hate so much you think "Thank God it's Friday" every week of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gruenenfelder/you-should-never-have-a-job-that-you-hate-so-much-you-think-thank-god/) [Kim Gruenenfelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gruenenfelder/) > [I grew up in the '80s and '90s listening to Public Enemy and Mobb Deep and the Smashing Pumpkins. I don't even know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-grew-up-in-the-80s-and-90s-listening-to-public-enemy-and-mobb-deep/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [Dealing with Jazz at Lincoln Center and its board of directors, who are so great, and then seeing how these Rock Hall guys operate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/dealing-with-jazz-at-lincoln-center-and-its-board-of-directors-who/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [Right now I'm doing four shows at a time, trying to read four outlines every week, four scripts every week, and watching four rough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-spelling/right-now-i-m-doing-four-shows-at-a-time-trying-to-read-four-outlines/) [Aaron Spelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-spelling/) ## More by Alan Rickman > [Every so often you read a play and a character just speaks to you - almost seems to speak through you, in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/every-so-often-you-read-a-play-and-a-character-just-speaks-to-you/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [My definition of palatable might be slightly different from yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/my-definition-of-palatable-might-be-slightly-different-from-yours/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/three-children-have-become-adults-since-a-phone-call-with-jo-rowling/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [I do feel more myself in America. I can regress there, and they have roller-coaster parks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-do-feel-more-myself-in-america-i-can-regress-there-and-they-have/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [I have a love-hate relationship with white silk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-have-a-love-hate-relationship-with-white-silk/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [Unless we tell stories about ourselves, which is all that theater is, we're in deep trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/unless-we-tell-stories-about-ourselves-which-is-all-that-theater-is/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [I was 7, and I remember being given a part in a play and thinking, This is exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-was-7-and-i-remember-being-given-a-part-in-a-play-and-thinking-this/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [The difference between being an actor and a director is simple. The director has to hide his panic; the actor doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/the-difference-between-being-an-actor-and-a-director-is-simple-the/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [Do you know that moment when you paint a landscape as a child and, when you’re maybe under seven or something, the sky is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/do-you-know-that-moment-when-you-paint-a-landscape-as-a-child-and/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [Who I am gets in the way of people looking innocently at the parts I play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/who-i-am-gets-in-the-way-of-people-looking-innocently-at-the-parts-i/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [I don't think it's right that everybody knows everything about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-don-t-think-it-s-right-that-everybody-knows-everything-about-me/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [One thing I will say - my job gets harder and harder. The more you understand about what you are capable of, the less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/one-thing-i-will-say-my-job-gets-harder-and-harder-the-more-you/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [On the screen were some flashback shots of Daniel, Emma and Rupert from ten years ago. They were 12. I have also recently returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/on-the-screen-were-some-flashback-shots-of-daniel-emma-and-rupert/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [I was coming from a very cerebral, dark, difficult, layered play by Christopher Hampton and doing an action movie in Hollywood (Die Hard) with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-was-coming-from-a-very-cerebral-dark-difficult-layered-play-by/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [I don't play villains, I play very interesting people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/i-don-t-play-villains-i-play-very-interesting-people/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) [Explore all 115 Alan Rickman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) [Justus Kohncke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-kohncke/) > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) [Lou Lumenick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-lumenick/) > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) [Browse all 488 80s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first time that I came to New York to work properly was the mid-'80s, but I was doing eight shows a week. You have no life. Going to a punk rock club - or whatever the music was at that time - would not have been on my agenda.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Rickman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-to-work-properly-was-the-mid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "80s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-to-work-properly-was-the-mid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/alan-rickman-4156_80s_the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-t_2337036.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first time that I came to New York to work properly was the mid-'80s, but I was doing eight shows a…” — Alan Rickman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Rickman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first time that I came...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-to-work-properly-was-the-mid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/the-first-time-that-i-came-to-new-york-to-work-properly-was-the-mid/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```