---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I actually thought that it would be a…"
description: "\"I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you're trying to make money, and t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg"
---

#  I actually thought that it would be a little confusing…

![“I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you're trying to make money, and then go to another meeting where you're giving it away.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg)

> “I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you're trying to make money, and then go to another meeting where you're giving it away.”

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## About This Quote

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

He notes the tension of juggling profit‑driven meetings with charitable ones, highlighting the mental shift required between self‑interest and altruism.

**In simple terms:** Balancing money‑making and giving is tricky.

Key Takeaway

Separate mindsets for profit and philanthropy.

Themes

ethics balance philanthropy business

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- conflict
- donation

Key Concepts

dual roles meeting dynamics career transitions

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you switch focus between profit and purpose?
- What strategies help maintain integrity across both?

A Different Perspective

Profit focus can clash with generosity, causing cognitive dissonance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

## Related quotes

> [I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-little-confusing-during-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I've got a vibe going on with a lot of what I've been doing, and to completely change it based off of me having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-owen/i-ve-got-a-vibe-going-on-with-a-lot-of-what-i-ve-been-doing-and-to/)

[Jake Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-owen/)

> [Time travel is only a little less confusing than wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranvir-shorey/time-travel-is-only-a-little-less-confusing-than-wives/)

[Ranvir Shorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranvir-shorey/)

> [Personally I found comics a little confusing; I was more into novels. With a novel you simply read from left to right, but comics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/personally-i-found-comics-a-little-confusing-i-was-more-into-novels/)

[Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/)

> [“LIFE is about meeting strangers in half way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/windy-ariestanty/life-is-about-meeting-strangers-in-half-way/)

[Windy Ariestanty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/windy-ariestanty/)

> [“The most important trip you take in life is meeting people half way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-boyle/the-most-important-trip-you-take-in-life-is-meeting-people-half-way/)

Henry Boyle

> [There have been several turning points in my life but meeting my guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji numbers amongst the biggest of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-pillai/there-have-been-several-turning-points-in-my-life-but-meeting-my-guru/)

[Rhea Pillai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-pillai/)

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

Cathy

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

## More by Bill Gates

> [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

[Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you're trying to make money, and then go to another meeting where you're giving it away.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Gates"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-little-confusing-during-the-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-little-confusing-during-the-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/bill-gates-137_life_i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-li_2502947.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one…” — Bill Gates",
                "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": "Bill Gates",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I actually thought that it would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-little-confusing-during-the-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-actually-thought-that-it-would-be-a-little-confusing-during-the-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
