---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Running a real business is exacting…"
description: "\"Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive work. Even in Silicon Valley.\" — Ben Stein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg"
---

#  Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive…

![“Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive work. Even in Silicon Valley.” quote by Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg)

> “Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive work. Even in Silicon Valley.”

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Running a business demands hard, repetitive effort, even in innovative hubs.

**In simple terms:** Business work is tough and repetitive.

Key Takeaway

Expect and manage demanding tasks.

Themes

entrepreneurship hard work reality

Mood

determined realistic

Type

business motivational

When to use this quote

- startup launch
- daily operations
- team leadership

Key Concepts

business management Silicon Valley dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What repetitive tasks can be automated?
- How do you stay motivated?

A Different Perspective

May understate creative aspects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Silicon valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon-valley/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [When I wake up from the few hours of sleep I do get, I'm getting him ready for the babysitter's house, I'm off to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bristol-palin/when-i-wake-up-from-the-few-hours-of-sleep-i-do-get-i-m-getting-him/)

[Bristol Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bristol-palin/)

> [I never aspired to be a public figure. I have always been interested primarily in real business and the development of business strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-abramovich/i-never-aspired-to-be-a-public-figure-i-have-always-been-interested/)

[Roman Abramovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-abramovich/)

> [The biographer's real business - if it is not too arrogant to say so - is simply this: to bring the dead to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/the-biographer-s-real-business-if-it-is-not-too-arrogant-to-say-so-is/)

[Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/)

> [“The real business of theory is not to come up with specific proposals for regulation, but to construct legal reality in another way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-business-of-theory-is-not-to-come-up-with-specific-proposals/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyday has its challenges - keeping up with the business, and we are a real business, unlike a lot of the reality shows. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rawlings/everyday-has-its-challenges-keeping-up-with-the-business-and-we-are-a/)

[Richard Rawlings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rawlings/)

> [Dragons' Den' is about as close to real business as you can get on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meaden/dragons-den-is-about-as-close-to-real-business-as-you-can-get-on/)

[Deborah Meaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meaden/)

> [Our real business is the people who come to see us play and want to hear us play, so I have a very active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/our-real-business-is-the-people-who-come-to-see-us-play-and-want-to/)

[Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/)

> [The real business of your life as a saved soul is intercessory prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-real-business-of-your-life-as-a-saved-soul-is-intercessory-prayer/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Work-life balance is not just a buzzy, self-help term that real business people laugh at. You need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-ruhle/work-life-balance-is-not-just-a-buzzy-self-help-term-that-real/)

[Stephanie Ruhle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-ruhle/)

> [Thought, not money, is the real business capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-s-firestone/thought-not-money-is-the-real-business-capital/)

[Harvey S. Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-s-firestone/)

> [The real business of life is trying to understand each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-parker/the-real-business-of-life-is-trying-to-understand-each-other/)

[Gilbert Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-parker/)

> [In real business, there's spiritual success and then there's facts and just hard work and making sure you're on point with the product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-j/in-real-business-there-s-spiritual-success-and-then-there-s-facts-and/)

[Ray J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-j/)

> [For years, people have been trying to talk to me about doing a show, and I wouldn't do one because I'm a serious business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilman-j-fertitta/for-years-people-have-been-trying-to-talk-to-me-about-doing-a-show/)

[Tilman J. Fertitta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilman-j-fertitta/)

> [ “Worldly relationships are not true \[are not real\]; it is a ‘business arrangement’.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/worldly-relationships-are-not-true-are-not-real-it-is-a-business/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [There isn't any more real show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-coogan/there-isn-t-any-more-real-show-business/)

[Jackie Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-coogan/)

## More by Ben Stein

> [I think, there are many people who are much smarter than I am, and many, many, many who are much harder-working than I am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-think-there-are-many-people-who-are-much-smarter-than-i-am-and-many/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [Emperor Sid Caesar is gone to eternity himself now. He takes with him the gratitude of every one of us who first learned the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/emperor-sid-caesar-is-gone-to-eternity-himself-now-he-takes-with-him/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [I am back in LA now. And I keep thinking back to my time in New York after the bombings… I was crying so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-am-back-in-la-now-and-i-keep-thinking-back-to-my-time-in-new-york/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [I'm not a Mensa member. I have no idea where that rumor came from. I never have been, and I doubt if I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-m-not-a-mensa-member-i-have-no-idea-where-that-rumor-came-from-i/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [The successful people of this world take life as it comes. They just go out and deal with the world as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-successful-people-of-this-world-take-life-as-it-comes-they-just/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [It's really amazing that in the age of unbelief, as a smart man called it, there isn't even more fraud. After all, with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/it-s-really-amazing-that-in-the-age-of-unbelief-as-a-smart-man-called/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [It is so great to sleep in safe, glorious, beautiful America. I just cannot get over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/it-is-so-great-to-sleep-in-safe-glorious-beautiful-america-i-just/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [The first step in getting what you want from life-decide what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want-from-life-decide-what-you-want/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [And now, any of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/and-now-any-of-those-who-refuse-or-are-unable-to-prove-they-are/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [I have to tell you I never in my life anticipated getting this old, this fast. It seems as if I were 25 just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-have-to-tell-you-i-never-in-my-life-anticipated-getting-this-old/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [Yes, Americans can still get credit for cars and trucks and refrigerators, and those businesses are doing well. But just try to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/yes-americans-can-still-get-credit-for-cars-and-trucks-and/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [For any exam in history, here is the answer: all human history is the struggle between systems that attempt to shackle the human personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/for-any-exam-in-history-here-is-the-answer-all-human-history-is-the/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [The ordinary American - as far as I can tell - knows so much less than he did fifty years ago and has such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-ordinary-american-as-far-as-i-can-tell-knows-so-much-less-than-he/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [But when I talk to people who are Darwinists or evolutionists and say, 'Well, how did life begin' -- they're...they don't have an answer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/but-when-i-talk-to-people-who-are-darwinists-or-evolutionists-and-say/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

> [Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/personal-relationships-are-the-fertile-soil-from-which-all/)

[Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

[Explore all 153 Ben Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive work. Even in Silicon Valley.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Stein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daunting-repetitive-work-even-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daunting-repetitive-work-even-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/ben-stein-2703_business_running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daun_2786345.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive work. Even in Silicon Valley.” — Ben Stein",
                "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": "Ben Stein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Running a real business is exacting,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daunting-repetitive-work-even-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/running-a-real-business-is-exacting-daunting-repetitive-work-even-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
