--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was asked to perform at the Olympics…" description: "\"I was asked to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. But I was up a tree in Borneo filming a documentary about Alfred Russel Wallace! So it couldn'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/bill-bailey-2171_documentary_i-was-asked-to-perform-at-the-olympics-o_2857126.png" --- # I was asked to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony… ![“I was asked to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. But I was up a tree in Borneo filming a documentary about Alfred Russel Wallace! So it couldn't be done.” quote by Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/bill-bailey-2171_documentary_i-was-asked-to-perform-at-the-olympics-o_2857126.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/bill-bailey-2171_documentary_i-was-asked-to-perform-at-the-olympics-o_2857126.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/bill-bailey-2171_documentary_i-was-asked-to-perform-at-the-olympics-o_2857126.png) > “I was asked to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. But I was up a tree in Borneo filming a documentary about Alfred Russel Wallace! So it couldn't be done.” [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Competing obligations can force impossible choices, highlighting the need for prioritization. **In simple terms:** You can't do everything at once; choose priorities. Key Takeaway Prioritize commitments wisely. Themes conflict career choices opportunity cost Mood pragmatic thoughtful Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - project planning - personal scheduling - career development Key Concepts time management professional ethics Questions to Reflect On - What criteria guide your decisions? - How do you handle missed chances? A Different Perspective Some opportunities can be negotiated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics/) [Opening ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening-ceremony/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [Whenever I'm making a feature film, I wish I were filming a documentary, because making feature films is so stressful. It happens every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatih-ak-n/whenever-i-m-making-a-feature-film-i-wish-i-were-filming-a/) [Fatih Ak?n](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatih-ak-n/) > [When most people think of Tae Kwon Do - which, in the United States, is not all that often - they think of sparring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/when-most-people-think-of-tae-kwon-do-which-in-the-united-states-is/) [Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/) > [“Work diligently. Work hard. Focus. Perform as if you are at the Olympics. One day, unexpectedly, it will start paying off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/work-diligently-work-hard-focus-perform-as-if-you-are-at-the-olympics/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [I do what I am asked to perform, nothing more, nothing less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manobala/i-do-what-i-am-asked-to-perform-nothing-more-nothing-less/) Manobala > [I can't wait to get on the plane. America is becoming like a second home to me now and I'm truly flattered that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/i-can-t-wait-to-get-on-the-plane-america-is-becoming-like-a-second/) [Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/) > [There's nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/there-s-nothing-bigger-than-being-asked-to-perform-at-the-super-bowl/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [But prices for the opening ceremony and some events' final competition should be a little bit higher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-jingmin/but-prices-for-the-opening-ceremony-and-some-events-final-competition/) Liu Jingmin > [Walking in the opening ceremony and just being part of the Olympics is so special and it's something to cherish forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-alvarez/walking-in-the-opening-ceremony-and-just-being-part-of-the-olympics/) [Eddy Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-alvarez/) > [It has been said that the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games is something that an athlete will remember for the rest of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fenech/it-has-been-said-that-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-olympic-games-is/) Jeff Fenech > [I don't like shopping, so I'll look online. I like going to the flea market at the Rose Bowl every once in a while.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-coppola/i-don-t-like-shopping-so-i-ll-look-online-i-like-going-to-the-flea/) [Gia Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-coppola/) > [The night before the Olympics opening ceremony, my son, who is eight years old, gets very excited and likes to put out a plate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/the-night-before-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-my-son-who-is-eight/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [And it wasn't so much the medal, it was stepping out of the ramp during the Opening Ceremony. Man, I took a step back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-alvarez/and-it-wasn-t-so-much-the-medal-it-was-stepping-out-of-the-ramp/) [Eddy Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-alvarez/) > [I came to New York in 2008 not knowing a thing about fashion, but even back then I knew Opening Ceremony was this beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowen-yang/i-came-to-new-york-in-2008-not-knowing-a-thing-about-fashion-but-even/) [Bowen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowen-yang/) > [I love Opening Ceremony, Kenzo - anything Humberto Leon and Carol Lim touch. I drool over Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Delpozo, and Wes Gordon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-love-opening-ceremony-kenzo-anything-humberto-leon-and-carol-lim/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [Singing at the Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was amazing and, probably the highlight of this decade is the opening of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/singing-at-the-opening-ceremonies-of-the-sydney-olympics-in-2000-was/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) ## More by Bill Bailey > [I tried to like it. For me, it was like being smacked around the head by a piece of IKEA furniture: it hurts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-tried-to-like-it-for-me-it-was-like-being-smacked-around-the-head/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Three blind mice walk into a pub. But they are unaware of their surroundings, so to derive humour from it would be exploitative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/three-blind-mice-walk-into-a-pub-but-they-are-unaware-of-their/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [I did a show in this tiny town called Longyearbyen. We went snowmobiling around Svalbard and saw Arctic foxes, snow bunting, polar bear footprints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-did-a-show-in-this-tiny-town-called-longyearbyen-we-went/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [I hate getting ill, it irritates me so I try to stay reasonably healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-hate-getting-ill-it-irritates-me-so-i-try-to-stay-reasonably-healthy/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Hitler was a vegetarian. Just goes to show, vegetarianism, not always a good thing. Can in some extreme cases lead to genocide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/hitler-was-a-vegetarian-just-goes-to-show-vegetarianism-not-always-a/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [There is something very poignant about plastic bags. These lonely plastic bags that gradually disintegrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-is-something-very-poignant-about-plastic-bags-these-lonely/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [At college, I felt frustrated thinking three years was a long time and I just wanted a job but afterwards I was in employment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/at-college-i-felt-frustrated-thinking-three-years-was-a-long-time-and/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [I am pretty laid-back as a parent, but I do like a lot of activity. So I am constantly suggesting things to do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-am-pretty-laid-back-as-a-parent-but-i-do-like-a-lot-of-activity-so/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Work hard, save and live within your means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/work-hard-save-and-live-within-your-means/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [There's more evil in the charts than an Al-Qaeda suggestion box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-s-more-evil-in-the-charts-than-an-al-qaeda-suggestion-box/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [I don't think any comic could say there isn't a bit of them that doesn't want to show off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-don-t-think-any-comic-could-say-there-isn-t-a-bit-of-them-that/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Three blokes go into a pub. Something happens. The outcome was hilarious!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/three-blokes-go-into-a-pub-something-happens-the-outcome-was-hilarious/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [You spend a lot more time on your own as an only child. And there's space to allow your imagination to take flight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/you-spend-a-lot-more-time-on-your-own-as-an-only-child-and-there-s/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Nostalgia: How long's that been around?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/nostalgia-how-long-s-that-been-around/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [My mother was a classic matriarchal figure. She'd sing round the house and always had music on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/my-mother-was-a-classic-matriarchal-figure-she-d-sing-round-the-house/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) [Explore all 182 Bill Bailey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) ## More Documentary quotes > [When I speak a serious subject in an informal and humorous way, it has bigger impact. So much so, when BBC made a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/when-i-speak-a-serious-subject-in-an-informal-and-humorous-way-it-has/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [The documentary style is an incredibly flexible and useful one. It's a wonderful tool for establishing the credibility of the version of things that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gohlke/the-documentary-style-is-an-incredibly-flexible-and-useful-one-it-s-a/) [Frank Gohlke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gohlke/) > [In the spring of 1984, I went to the northwest of France, to Normandy, to prepare an NBC documentary on the 40th anniversary of D-Day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/in-the-spring-of-1984-i-went-to-the-northwest-of-france-to-normandy/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/most-of-the-photographs-people-take-with-their-cameraphones-are-of/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [My senior thesis was a documentary. By the time I graduated from college, I thought I was going to make films, and my interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/my-senior-thesis-was-a-documentary-by-the-time-i-graduated-from/) [Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/) > [Most of my life, I thought that I would end up a novelist. But then, in New York City, after college, I started a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-spaihts/most-of-my-life-i-thought-that-i-would-end-up-a-novelist-but-then-in/) [Jon Spaihts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-spaihts/) > [By calling it a memoir, I meant is as a collection of memories. I thought it was (a more) artful (title) than documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/by-calling-it-a-memoir-i-meant-is-as-a-collection-of-memories-i/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I'm a documentary photographer. That's what I've always wanted to be; that's where my heart and soul is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-a-documentary-photographer-that-s-what-i-ve-always-wanted-to-be/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Yeah I'm telling real stories, but if you pick up a documentary on strippers, you're going to want to see some stripping, so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/method-man/yeah-i-m-telling-real-stories-but-if-you-pick-up-a-documentary-on/) [Method Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/method-man/) > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [It's supposed to be entertainment. It's not supposed to be a documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeri-ryan/it-s-supposed-to-be-entertainment-it-s-not-supposed-to-be-a/) [Jeri Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeri-ryan/) > [If you merely focus on what we already know, then it's not revelatory. You may as well just go and watch a documentary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/if-you-merely-focus-on-what-we-already-know-then-it-s-not-revelatory/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [Helen Weaver’s book was a revelation to me! Although I was a young woman in the fifties, I was there, but I wasn’t there!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-cassady/helen-weaver-s-book-was-a-revelation-to-me-although-i-was-a-young/) Carolyn Cassady > [If you want to see the real Pablo Escobar, go see a documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wagner-moura/if-you-want-to-see-the-real-pablo-escobar-go-see-a-documentary/) [Wagner Moura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wagner-moura/) > [There's a tradition of reenactment in documentary which is about sort of illustrating what the past might have been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/there-s-a-tradition-of-reenactment-in-documentary-which-is-about-sort/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) [Browse all 655 Documentary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was asked to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. 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