--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before signing any contract, you have to…" description: "\"Before signing any contract, you have to assume that the guy on the other side of the desk is handing you a shifty piece of paper that works to his adv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2a/bun-e-carlos-36430_contract_before-signing-any-contract-you-have-to_457008.jpg" --- # Before signing any contract, you have to assume that the… ![“Before signing any contract, you have to assume that the guy on the other side of the desk is handing you a shifty piece of paper that works to his advantage. I know that sounds cynical, but it's really that simple.” quote by Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2a/bun-e-carlos-36430_contract_before-signing-any-contract-you-have-to_457008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2a/bun-e-carlos-36430_contract_before-signing-any-contract-you-have-to_457008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2a/bun-e-carlos-36430_contract_before-signing-any-contract-you-have-to_457008.jpg) > “Before signing any contract, you have to assume that the guy on the other side of the desk is handing you a shifty piece of paper that works to his advantage. I know that sounds cynical, but it's really that simple.” [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assume contracts favor the other party, so scrutinize every clause for hidden advantage. **In simple terms:** Contracts often protect the drafter. Key Takeaway Read carefully, negotiate terms. Themes caution negotiation power dynamics Mood skeptical pragmatic Type advice warning When to use this quote - business deals - employment agreements - real estate contracts Key Concepts Contract law asymmetry risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance vigilance with trust? - What red flags indicate a one‑sided contract? A Different Perspective If the other side is trustworthy, over‑caution can stall deals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract/) [Contract Assume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract-assume-3976453/) [Cynical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/) [Desk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk/) [Desk Handing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk-handing-3976452/) [Side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side/) [Signing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signing/) [Signing Contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signing-contract-2138669/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) ## Related quotes > [By signing a contract, you accept the conditions, but there are ways and forms. Players are privileged, but those who are in charge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-rubio/by-signing-a-contract-you-accept-the-conditions-but-there-are-ways/) [Ricky Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-rubio/) > [I mean when was the last time we had one of these contract signings... that didn't end... in some sort of horrible physical calamity?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cm-punk/i-mean-when-was-the-last-time-we-had-one-of-these-contract-signings/) [CM Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cm-punk/) > [Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing-when-you-sign-a-recording/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I came close to signing Elvis Presley. I offered $25,000 for his contract and they asked for $45,000 and I just didn't have the other $20,000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-ertegun/i-came-close-to-signing-elvis-presley-i-offered-25-000-for-his/) [Ahmet Ertegun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-ertegun/) > [If I still had my legs, I would be in line for a battalion command, and instead, I'm flying a desk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/if-i-still-had-my-legs-i-would-be-in-line-for-a-battalion-command-and/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [“At least the tears on my desk wipe away the dust that's covered this place”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-boddie/at-least-the-tears-on-my-desk-wipe-away-the-dust-that-s-covered-this/) [Andrew Boddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-boddie/) > [“I’d much rather watch people do what they do than talk to them across a desk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/i-d-much-rather-watch-people-do-what-they-do-than-talk-to-them-across/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [A handwritten Declaration of Independence was on my bedroom wall and the Founding Fathers were above my desk in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/a-handwritten-declaration-of-independence-was-on-my-bedroom-wall-and/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [I've always had a picture of the White House and it would always sit right in front of my desk. Whenever I was having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-grisham/i-ve-always-had-a-picture-of-the-white-house-and-it-would-always-sit/) [Stephanie Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-grisham/) > [I didn't want to spend my life behind a desk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gilpin/i-didn-t-want-to-spend-my-life-behind-a-desk/) [John Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gilpin/) > [When you hear of somebody named Goldberg, you think of a guy sitting behind a desk investing your money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-goldberg/when-you-hear-of-somebody-named-goldberg-you-think-of-a-guy-sitting/) [Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-goldberg/) > [When somebody was looking in my locker, it was like going in my desk. Somebody happened to be looking in my locker when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bonilla/when-somebody-was-looking-in-my-locker-it-was-like-going-in-my-desk/) [Bobby Bonilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bonilla/) > [I write at a desk. I have a room of my own where I can have my computer. I write in there, usually directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-bunting/i-write-at-a-desk-i-have-a-room-of-my-own-where-i-can-have-my/) [Eve Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-bunting/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## More by Bun E. Carlos > [In April of 1976, Epic Records was flying out to sign us when I tripped over a light case after a gig and broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/in-april-of-1976-epic-records-was-flying-out-to-sign-us-when-i/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I don't like doing 25 songs. I think that just kills the audience. I think the show should be 17, 18, 19 songs and encores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/i-don-t-like-doing-25-songs-i-think-that-just-kills-the-audience-i/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [You just can't walk into a venue, sit behind your drums, and expect to play a great show. It'll never happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/you-just-can-t-walk-into-a-venue-sit-behind-your-drums-and-expect-to/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [We were offered 100 'Sgt. Pepper' shows in Las Vegas with a huge back-end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/we-were-offered-100-sgt-pepper-shows-in-las-vegas-with-a-huge-back-end/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I'm a full member of Cheap Trick in all respects. Solely as an accommodation to some of the band members, I reluctantly agreed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/i-m-a-full-member-of-cheap-trick-in-all-respects-solely-as-an/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [The music speaks for itself. You either like it or you don't, or you're somewhere in between. That doesn't change whether I'm in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/the-music-speaks-for-itself-you-either-like-it-or-you-don-t-or-you-re/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [Every musician in the known universe has signed a bad piece of paper, myself included. But it's really very simple. You're the artist. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/every-musician-in-the-known-universe-has-signed-a-bad-piece-of-paper/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I don't miss going to airports and hanging out in hotel rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/i-don-t-miss-going-to-airports-and-hanging-out-in-hotel-rooms/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [The last thing you want to do is play a long gig on a hot night, pass out, and wind up in a hospital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/the-last-thing-you-want-to-do-is-play-a-long-gig-on-a-hot-night-pass/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I practice every day and that kind of stuff to maintain my musicianship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/i-practice-every-day-and-that-kind-of-stuff-to-maintain-my/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I'm still involved in the business of Cheap Trick, so I keep my eye on that kind of stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/i-m-still-involved-in-the-business-of-cheap-trick-so-i-keep-my-eye-on/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I play every day. I had a bad back, but they fixed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/i-play-every-day-i-had-a-bad-back-but-they-fixed-it/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) [Explore all 13 Bun E. Carlos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) ## More Contract quotes > [I am very convinced that I did not contract Ebola in the isolation unit, because our process is so safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-brantly/i-am-very-convinced-that-i-did-not-contract-ebola-in-the-isolation/) [Kent Brantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-brantly/) > [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) > [I love Scott Coker and I love Bellator and I love what we have built together and it's a little uneasy to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chandler/i-love-scott-coker-and-i-love-bellator-and-i-love-what-we-have-built/) [Michael Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chandler/) > [I signed my first book contract without paying much attention to what it said. I didn't know at the time that the book would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-signed-my-first-book-contract-without-paying-much-attention-to-what/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [I work seriously with complete integrity. I never, never, never have offered a part to anyone who didn't deserve it, and I've never not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-toback/i-work-seriously-with-complete-integrity-i-never-never-never-have/) [James Toback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-toback/) > [Nowadays, in the contract that actors sign, you have to agree that you're going to do a certain amount of publicity-the hard part they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/nowadays-in-the-contract-that-actors-sign-you-have-to-agree-that-you/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“A prisoner is imprisoned by the crime that he has committed. A jailer is imprisoned — in the very same prison — by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-prisoner-is-imprisoned-by-the-crime-that-he-has-committed-a-jailer/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“When we are quiet and still we contract and settle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-are-quiet-and-still-we-contract-and-settle/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [When you sign a contract, that's your deal. Everyone has different deals anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-duggan/when-you-sign-a-contract-that-s-your-deal-everyone-has-different/) [Toni Duggan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-duggan/) > [When you need to renew your contract, you must demonstrate why they are renewing your contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-pellegrini/when-you-need-to-renew-your-contract-you-must-demonstrate-why-they/) [Manuel Pellegrini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-pellegrini/) > [“You don't know with who you are having to deal with... you just sign the contract to die”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/you-don-t-know-with-who-you-are-having-to-deal-with-you-just-sign-the/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [Even if you have a contract you can be sold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teemu-pukki/even-if-you-have-a-contract-you-can-be-sold/) [Teemu Pukki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teemu-pukki/) > [I worked in three local news markets and in every single one of them, they said: 'You're a lousy anchor. We would love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-vargas/i-worked-in-three-local-news-markets-and-in-every-single-one-of-them/) [Elizabeth Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-vargas/) > [A group is as healthy as its 'social contract' is clear; a congregation as faithful as its covenant is mutually understood; a pastor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-group-is-as-healthy-as-its-social-contract-is-clear-a-congregation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 518 Contract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before signing any contract, you have to assume that the guy on the other side of the desk is handing you a shifty piece of paper that works to his advantage. I know that sounds cynical, but it's really that simple.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bun E. 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