---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went into the military because I didn't…"
description: "\"I went into the military because I didn't get a scholarship, a basketball scholarship I thought that I would get.\" — Carl Hart"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg"
---

#  I went into the military because I didn't get a…

![“I went into the military because I didn't get a scholarship, a basketball scholarship I thought that I would get.” quote by Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg)

> “I went into the military because I didn't get a scholarship, a basketball scholarship I thought that I would get.”

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

## About This Quote

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

He entered the military after a missed basketball scholarship, highlighting fallback plans and resilience.

**In simple terms:** Military as backup after scholarship loss.

Key Takeaway

Adapt plans when goals shift.

Themes

resilience career paths adaptability

Mood

pragmatic hopeful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- college decisions
- sports setbacks
- career changes

Key Concepts

scholarship loss military service career pivot

Questions to Reflect On

- What alternatives do you consider when primary goals fail?
- How can setbacks become opportunities?

A Different Perspective

May suggest settling for less fulfilling options.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Scholarship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholarship/)

## Related quotes

> [I sort of tried to get a basketball scholarship out of high school, but that didn't happen. Then I started working for UPS, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-holbrook/i-sort-of-tried-to-get-a-basketball-scholarship-out-of-high-school/)

[Boyd Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-holbrook/)

> [I dream of one day winning a college basketball scholarship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/i-dream-of-one-day-winning-a-college-basketball-scholarship/)

Aselin Debison

> [It's hard when u gotta focus on a basketball scholarship rather than being with the one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie/it-s-hard-when-u-gotta-focus-on-a-basketball-scholarship-rather-than/)

[Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie/)

> [There was sort of a negative association with the military. Maybe growing up in the South or being in a family with members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/there-was-sort-of-a-negative-association-with-the-military-maybe/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [“break his hold on power, as…we had come to expect,” the first president Bush and his national security adviser, Brent Scowcroft, wrote in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-ricks-2/break-his-hold-on-power-as-we-had-come-to-expect-the-first-president/)

[Thomas E. Ricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-ricks-2/)

> [“Jon Spiro might have “stuff ” that the military didn’t have, but Artemis Fowl had “stuff ” that humans had never seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/jon-spiro-might-have-stuff-that-the-military-didn-t-have-but-artemis/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [My experience is that if the military didn't want to use force and was confronted with a president that did, the military would come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-shultz/my-experience-is-that-if-the-military-didn-t-want-to-use-force-and/)

[George P. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-shultz/)

> [Where I would fault President Bush the most was that, in the wake of 9/11, he motivated our military, but he didn't call the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/where-i-would-fault-president-bush-the-most-was-that-in-the-wake-of-9/)

[Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/)

> [“and everybody was happy that uncle lee was able to get that scholarship even though you wondered when you could do quadratic equations in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/and-everybody-was-happy-that-uncle-lee-was-able-to-get-that/)

[Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/)

> [For me to even think about attending a college or university would have been a real financial hardship. It would not have happened. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/for-me-to-even-think-about-attending-a-college-or-university-would/)

[Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/)

> [When I went to Baylor on a basketball scholarship - and when I thought about the future as a freshman - one achievement I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/when-i-went-to-baylor-on-a-basketball-scholarship-and-when-i-thought/)

[Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/)

> [I went to military college in Canada and graduated as an officer in the Navy but also as an engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-garneau/i-went-to-military-college-in-canada-and-graduated-as-an-officer-in/)

[Marc Garneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-garneau/)

> [I went to a military school, so I'm always talking like 'Yes, sir,' or 'No, ma'am.' I was doing that even before military school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fitzgerald/i-went-to-a-military-school-so-i-m-always-talking-like-yes-sir-or-no/)

[Larry Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fitzgerald/)

> [I went into the military because I wanted to get an education, not because I wanted to fight anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-murphy/i-went-into-the-military-because-i-wanted-to-get-an-education-not/)

[Charlie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-murphy/)

> [When I got into high school, I got really into basketball. I had this itch that I wanted to just move. I didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-holbrook/when-i-got-into-high-school-i-got-really-into-basketball-i-had-this/)

[Boyd Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-holbrook/)

## More by Carl Hart

> [If politicians did care about their constituents, they would work harder to seek out people like me. They don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/if-politicians-did-care-about-their-constituents-they-would-work/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [“If Barack Obama had come up in a time when the drug war was being waged as intensely as it is now, we probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/if-barack-obama-had-come-up-in-a-time-when-the-drug-war-was-being/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [All of my childhood, we were on welfare. My mom received Aid for Families with Dependent Children - welfare. Without that, we wouldn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/all-of-my-childhood-we-were-on-welfare-my-mom-received-aid-for/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [It takes some courage to say you were wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/it-takes-some-courage-to-say-you-were-wrong/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [Perhaps, for once, we should try interventions that are informed by science and proven to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/perhaps-for-once-we-should-try-interventions-that-are-informed-by/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [When you go to jail, you are under the supervision of the state. You are housed with people who are criminals, so that becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/when-you-go-to-jail-you-are-under-the-supervision-of-the-state-you/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [One of the things we know about people is that people are not very courageous in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/one-of-the-things-we-know-about-people-is-that-people-are-not-very/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [The notion that scientists are dispassionate - first of all, that's wrong. Scientists are extremely passionate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/the-notion-that-scientists-are-dispassionate-first-of-all-that-s/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [“Indeed, a great deal of pathological drug use is driven by unmet social needs, by being alienated and having difficulty connecting with others. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/indeed-a-great-deal-of-pathological-drug-use-is-driven-by-unmet/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [I don't want to be on the bandwagon of dogging any president or anybody in positions where they have all these different constituencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/i-don-t-want-to-be-on-the-bandwagon-of-dogging-any-president-or/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [Dopamine makes up less than one percent of the brain's neurotransmitters. It's a small portion. Dopamine is released when people are happy, angry, stressed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/dopamine-makes-up-less-than-one-percent-of-the-brain-s/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [Your decision to place your law enforcement resources in these communities is racism, but nobody has called people out on this. The law itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/your-decision-to-place-your-law-enforcement-resources-in-these/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [When I got out of the military, I finished up my education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and I had some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/when-i-got-out-of-the-military-i-finished-up-my-education-at-the/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [When we make decisions based on factors other than the available empirical evidence, we are less than objective, which means we are no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/when-we-make-decisions-based-on-factors-other-than-the-available/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [The way we have been thinking about brain science is that people show you pretty pictures, pretty images, and you think that that tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/the-way-we-have-been-thinking-about-brain-science-is-that-people-show/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

[Explore all 84 Carl Hart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

## More Basketball quotes

> [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/)

[Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/)

> [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/)

[Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/)

> [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/)

[Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/)

> [I learned so much from Sue about the Xs and Os of the game of basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-learned-so-much-from-sue-about-the-xs-and-os-of-the-game-of/)

[Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/)

> [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [It's not how big you are, it's how big you play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/it-s-not-how-big-you-are-it-s-how-big-you-play/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [Basketball isn't just a sport to me ; it's my ecstasy !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamira-robinson/basketball-isn-t-just-a-sport-to-me-it-s-my-ecstasy/)

[Jamira Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamira-robinson/)

> [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/)

[Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/)

> [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/)

[Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/)

> [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/)

[Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/)

> [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/)

[Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/)

> [I'm a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I'm a gym rat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-m-a-competitive-person-i-love-the-game-of-basketball-i-m-a-gym-rat/)

[Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/)

> [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/)

[Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/)

> [What I've talked about the entire series and throughout this playoffs is about intensity and effort, desire and will of our players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laimbeer/what-i-ve-talked-about-the-entire-series-and-throughout-this-playoffs/)

[Bill Laimbeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laimbeer/)

[Browse all 5,387 Basketball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I went into the military because I didn't get a scholarship, a basketball scholarship I thought that I would get.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Hart"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn-t-get-a-scholarship-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Basketball"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn-t-get-a-scholarship-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/carl-hart-8006_basketball_i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn_2532040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I went into the military because I didn't get a scholarship, a basketball scholarship I thought that I would…” — Carl Hart",
                "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": "Carl Hart",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I went into the military because...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn-t-get-a-scholarship-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/i-went-into-the-military-because-i-didn-t-get-a-scholarship-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
