--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not…" description: "\"I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not serious when I'm home with my kids.\" — Bill Gates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg" --- # I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not serious when I'm… ![“I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not serious when I'm home with my kids.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg) > “I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not serious when I'm home with my kids.” [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 distinguishes seriousness at work from relaxation at home, separating professional and personal roles. **In simple terms:** Work seriousness differs from home relaxation. Key Takeaway Maintain clear work‑life boundaries. Themes productivity family balance Mood balanced thoughtful Type personal professional When to use this quote - project planning - family time - vacations Key Concepts role theory stress management Questions to Reflect On - How do you transition between work and home mindsets? - What boundaries help you stay present? A Different Perspective Over‑separation can hinder work‑life integration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Home Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-kids-404248/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-home/) ## Related quotes > [Seeing my children makes me come most alive. I come home and I see my kids' faces light up when they see me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/seeing-my-children-makes-me-come-most-alive-i-come-home-and-i-see-my/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [Our focus has been on having Accenture be a place where you can be successful as an employee at work and also at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-sweet/our-focus-has-been-on-having-accenture-be-a-place-where-you-can-be/) [Julie Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-sweet/) > [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/) > [I ordinarily do one film a year and the rest of the time I'm at home with the kids. Even when I am working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-ordinarily-do-one-film-a-year-and-the-rest-of-the-time-i-m-at-home/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [During the season, most of my time to unwind is in my car ride home. When I get home, it's being with my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brady/during-the-season-most-of-my-time-to-unwind-is-in-my-car-ride-home/) [Tom Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brady/) > [I never envisaged how much I'd enjoy just being at home, with the kids, playing loads of golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-henman/i-never-envisaged-how-much-i-d-enjoy-just-being-at-home-with-the-kids/) [Tim Henman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-henman/) > [The American Dream is not to own your own home, but to get your kids out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/the-american-dream-is-not-to-own-your-own-home-but-to-get-your-kids/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [I spend my free time at home with my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/i-spend-my-free-time-at-home-with-my-kids/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [If you're driving home and your kids are playing up in the back seat, I'm pretty sure that's taxing. You're trying to hold your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-groves/if-you-re-driving-home-and-your-kids-are-playing-up-in-the-back-seat/) [George Groves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-groves/) > [When I retire and I'm back at home with me kids, they're not going to care that I smiled too much on the field.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-edmonds/when-i-retire-and-i-m-back-at-home-with-me-kids-they-re-not-going-to/) [Jim Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-edmonds/) > [I live in L.A. because my kids do. Home is where my kids are for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-live-in-l-a-because-my-kids-do-home-is-where-my-kids-are-for-me/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [If I hadn't spent all those years staying home with my kids and experimenting with materials that children could use, I would never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-asawa/if-i-hadn-t-spent-all-those-years-staying-home-with-my-kids-and/) [Ruth Asawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-asawa/) > [I love to go home to my kids. I don't have that lull in my life when I didn't have them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/i-love-to-go-home-to-my-kids-i-don-t-have-that-lull-in-my-life-when-i/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [I spend a lot of time at home with my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-pippen/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-at-home-with-my-kids/) [Scottie Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-pippen/) > [I have a little kitchen office at home, where I do all my kids' stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-have-a-little-kitchen-office-at-home-where-i-do-all-my-kids-stuff/) [Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/) ## 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 Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not serious when I'm home with my kids.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-serious-when-i-m-home-with-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-serious-when-i-m-home-with-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/bill-gates-137_children_i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-se_1159055.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm serious when I do my work. I'm not serious when I'm home with my kids.” — 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'm serious when I do my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-serious-when-i-m-home-with-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-m-serious-when-i-do-my-work-i-m-not-serious-when-i-m-home-with-my/#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 } } ] } ```