--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pedigree matters: if you break your…" description: "\"Pedigree matters: if you break your shoulder trying to open a door, it's much harder to play the game once you get in the room.\" — Audra McDonald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg" --- # Pedigree matters: if you break your shoulder trying to… ![“Pedigree matters: if you break your shoulder trying to open a door, it's much harder to play the game once you get in the room.” quote by Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg) > “Pedigree matters: if you break your shoulder trying to open a door, it's much harder to play the game once you get in the room.” [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A strong reputation can make setbacks feel more costly and hinder participation later. **In simple terms:** Reputation amplifies consequences of mistakes. Key Takeaway Protect your reputation to stay in the game. Themes reputation risk participation Mood anxious determined Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career setbacks - sports injuries - public speaking - networking Key Concepts social capital consequences self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - How does your reputation affect your opportunities? - What steps can you take to recover after a mistake? A Different Perspective Reputation can be rebuilt with effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Open Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-door/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [Come on! Don't hold back," Christian said. "I'm not, " Lissa protested. "You are too! I've seen you knock on a door harder than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/come-on-don-t-hold-back-christian-said-i-m-not-lissa-protested-you/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [You can't constantly be looking OVER your shoulder if you are trying to lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-constantly-be-looking-over-your-shoulder-if-you-are-trying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead -- and to find no one there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-look-over-your-shoulder-when-you-are-trying/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Any time you get into that chip on the shoulder, trying to prove that I can do this and I can do that, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donovan-mcnabb/any-time-you-get-into-that-chip-on-the-shoulder-trying-to-prove-that/) [Donovan McNabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donovan-mcnabb/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [“I've always believed that you have to train harder than you play. That's how you win—so that the match, when it comes, comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-ve-always-believed-that-you-have-to-train-harder-than-you-play-that/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [It's much harder to play myself. If I ever do a movie again, it'll be a singing serial killer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/it-s-much-harder-to-play-myself-if-i-ever-do-a-movie-again-it-ll-be-a/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [I actually think it's harder to play vulnerability, because you're having to delve deeper into portions of your own psyche, what it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-actually-think-it-s-harder-to-play-vulnerability-because-you-re/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [Our music is harder to play than it sounds. It's the small details you don't realize are there until you try and re-do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lukather/our-music-is-harder-to-play-than-it-sounds-it-s-the-small-details-you/) [Steve Lukather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lukather/) > [Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-harder-it-is-to-play-because-you/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Men play harder than they work; women work harder than they play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/men-play-harder-than-they-work-women-work-harder-than-they-play/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [The best workers, like the happiest livers, look upon their work as a kind of game: the harder they play the more enjoyable it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baden-powell/the-best-workers-like-the-happiest-livers-look-upon-their-work-as-a/) [Robert Baden-Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baden-powell/) > [The more people they can give us upfront the harder we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bon-scott/the-more-people-they-can-give-us-upfront-the-harder-we-play/) [Bon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bon-scott/) > [The closer a part is to you, the harder it is to play. Anything else is just imitation. If I'm playing a Russian countess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/the-closer-a-part-is-to-you-the-harder-it-is-to-play-anything-else-is/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [I think I'm better at playing difficult than I am at being normal. And to me that's something I'm working on now. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-think-i-m-better-at-playing-difficult-than-i-am-at-being-normal-and/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) ## More by Audra McDonald > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [One thing that is constantly on my iPod is India Arie - I like her a lot; I listen to her a lot. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/one-thing-that-is-constantly-on-my-ipod-is-india-arie-i-like-her-a/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [And I found the theater, and I found my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/and-i-found-the-theater-and-i-found-my-home/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I was a little girl with a pot belly and Afro puffs, hyperactive and overdramatic, and I found the theater and I found my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-was-a-little-girl-with-a-pot-belly-and-afro-puffs-hyperactive-and/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I find that I'm just drawn to anything that's going to challenge me as an actress. So, anything that's going to help me grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-find-that-i-m-just-drawn-to-anything-that-s-going-to-challenge-me/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I choose things that challenge me. I was afraid of the camera - that's why I chose to do 'Private Practice.' It's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-choose-things-that-challenge-me-i-was-afraid-of-the-camera-that-s/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [When you become a parent, it blows you open in ways that you never thought possible in terms of a level of love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/when-you-become-a-parent-it-blows-you-open-in-ways-that-you-never/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [Without theater, I don't think I would have thought I was a smart person or excelled at anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/without-theater-i-don-t-think-i-would-have-thought-i-was-a-smart/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I feel a connection to many songs that I won't sing because I don't think they are right for me! There is something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-feel-a-connection-to-many-songs-that-i-won-t-sing-because-i-don-t/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I've spent my whole career trying to stay out of any box that anyone could put me in. 'I'm going to do a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-ve-spent-my-whole-career-trying-to-stay-out-of-any-box-that-anyone/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I auditioned for Julliard because I wanted to live in New York, and I wanted to be on Broadway at the time. Julliard seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-auditioned-for-julliard-because-i-wanted-to-live-in-new-york-and-i/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I used to practice Tony speeches in my bathroom with my hairbrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-used-to-practice-tony-speeches-in-my-bathroom-with-my-hairbrush/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I think in the end there is one ultimate goal with all my careers, and that is, as a performing artist, you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-think-in-the-end-there-is-one-ultimate-goal-with-all-my-careers-and/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I guess what I know now that I definitely didn't know as a child, is that being truest to yourself is the greatest weapon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-guess-what-i-know-now-that-i-definitely-didn-t-know-as-a-child-is/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [Every human being has a dream. I think what's special about the American Dream is that it implies, given everything that's happened with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/every-human-being-has-a-dream-i-think-what-s-special-about-the/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) [Explore all 71 Audra McDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) Peter Dunne > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pedigree matters: if you break your shoulder trying to open a door, it's much harder to play the game once you get in the room.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Audra McDonald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoulder-trying-to-open-a-door-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Break" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoulder-trying-to-open-a-door-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/audra-mcdonald-9650_break_pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoul_1752434.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pedigree matters: if you break your shoulder trying to open a door, it's much harder to play the game once…” — Audra McDonald", "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": "Audra McDonald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pedigree matters: if you break your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoulder-trying-to-open-a-door-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/pedigree-matters-if-you-break-your-shoulder-trying-to-open-a-door-it/#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 } } ] } ```