--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest mistake we could ever make in…" description: "\"“The biggest mistake we could ever make in our lives is to think we work for anybody but ourselves.”\" — Brian Tracy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg" --- # The biggest mistake we could ever make in our lives is to… ![“The biggest mistake we could ever make in our lives is to think we work for anybody but ourselves.” quote by Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg) > ““The biggest mistake we could ever make in our lives is to think we work for anybody but ourselves.”” [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often mistake external expectations for personal purpose, forgetting true ownership lies within ourselves. **In simple terms:** We work for ourselves, not others. Key Takeaway Take responsibility for your own life. Themes self‑responsibility purpose autonomy Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - entrepreneurship - personal goals - financial planning Key Concepts personal agency self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - Are you truly acting for yourself? - How do you differentiate duty from desire? A Different Perspective External pressures can still dictate choices despite internal resolve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biggest mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [The biggest mistake you could ever make is to think you work for anyone but yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-biggest-mistake-you-could-ever-make-is-to-think-you-work-for/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The biggest mistake girls make is thinking the guy who hurt them once wont do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-mistake-girls-make-is-thinking-the-guy-who-hurt-them-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest mistake I see with people who are new to CrossFit is trying to advance too quickly. Just because you can do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/the-biggest-mistake-i-see-with-people-who-are-new-to-crossfit-is/) [Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/) > [I had a couple of agents, but then I went on my own. I thought I could negotiate my own deals and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-grobbelaar/i-had-a-couple-of-agents-but-then-i-went-on-my-own-i-thought-i-could/) [Bruce Grobbelaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-grobbelaar/) > [I may not be able to work for anybody else again. I may just have to work for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-may-not-be-able-to-work-for-anybody-else-again-i-may-just-have-to/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [When you're working on a creative thing, everyone has an idea, and they're pushing it. 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Most people would assume I wouldn't be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/we-can-work-with-anybody-i-mean-we-passed-the-9-11-health-bill-with/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [I meet with virtually everybody that comes down to Olympia, that Facebook messages me or emails me or calls me on the telephone. 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It means refusing to say or do something that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/being-true-to-yourself-means-living-in-truth-with-each-person-in-your/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-happiest-people-in-the-world-are-those-who-feel-absolutely/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The value of a promise is the cost to you of keeping your word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-value-of-a-promise-is-the-cost-to-you-of-keeping-your-word/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) [Explore all 882 Brian Tracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) ## More Biggest mistake quotes > [The biggest mistake girls make is thinking the guy who hurt them once wont do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-mistake-girls-make-is-thinking-the-guy-who-hurt-them-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest mistake I see with people who are new to CrossFit is trying to advance too quickly. 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But if I had made a big mistake, they'd all be writing about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/the-press-keep-asking-me-what-was-your-biggest-mistake-but-if-i-had/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball, they fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-shoup/the-galleries-are-full-of-critics-they-play-no-ball-they-fight-no/) [David M. Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-shoup/) > [“I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry I hurt you. I was stupid. I fucked up. I thought I was doing you a favor by keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-abel/i-m-sorry-babe-i-m-sorry-i-hurt-you-i-was-stupid-i-fucked-up-i/) [E.M. Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-abel/) > [“The biggest mistake we commit in life is to think that others will get affected by our action and we shall leave some effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/the-biggest-mistake-we-commit-in-life-is-to-think-that-others-will/) Himmilicious > [“At the beginning of the semester, when you asked who I loved the most, an image of my mother popped in my head. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brianne/at-the-beginning-of-the-semester-when-you-asked-who-i-loved-the-most/) [Sarah Brianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brianne/) > [“Truly Falling In Love With you is not one of the greatest mistake of my Life but Trusting you madly is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashi-khan/truly-falling-in-love-with-you-is-not-one-of-the-greatest-mistake-of/) Kashi khan > [I thought doing reality TV would be the greatest success of my life or the biggest mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-thought-doing-reality-tv-would-be-the-greatest-success-of-my-life/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [Is that your ex? No, that's the biggest mistake of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-martin/is-that-your-ex-no-that-s-the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life/) [Brandon Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-martin/) [Browse all 337 Biggest mistake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The biggest mistake we could ever make in our lives is to think we work for anybody but ourselves.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Tracy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-in-our-lives-is-to-think-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biggest mistake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-in-our-lives-is-to-think-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/brian-tracy-216_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-i_1956638.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The biggest mistake we could ever make in our lives is to think we work for anybody but ourselves.” — Brian Tracy", "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": "Brian Tracy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The biggest mistake we could ever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-in-our-lives-is-to-think-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-biggest-mistake-we-could-ever-make-in-our-lives-is-to-think-we/#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 } } ] } ```