--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For 25 or 30 years I never had an…" description: "\"For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself. So they were always about somebody I like, 'cause if I didn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45b/charles-kuralt-7624_assignment_for-25-or-30-years-i-never-had-an-assign_1899975.png" --- # For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were… ![“For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself. So they were always about somebody I like, 'cause if I didn't like him, I just didn't do the story. And to have somebody else paying the bills for this tourism, to every corner of every stage, over and over…” quote by Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45b/charles-kuralt-7624_assignment_for-25-or-30-years-i-never-had-an-assign_1899975.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45b/charles-kuralt-7624_assignment_for-25-or-30-years-i-never-had-an-assign_1899975.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45b/charles-kuralt-7624_assignment_for-25-or-30-years-i-never-had-an-assign_1899975.png) > “For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself. So they were always about somebody I like, 'cause if I didn't like him, I just didn't do the story. And to have somebody else paying the bills for this tourism, to every corner of every stage, over and over again? Why, who wouldn't want a job like that?” [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on a career of choosing projects based on personal interest, valuing creative freedom over conventional work. **In simple terms:** Choosing work you love feels rewarding. Key Takeaway Pursue projects that inspire you. Themes career creativity freedom choice Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical career When to use this quote - freelance writing - creative projects - self‑directed work Key Concepts passion‑driven work autonomy personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are you willing to make for creative freedom? - How do you sustain income while following passion? A Different Perspective Financial instability can accompany such freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Tourism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tourism/) ## Related quotes > [It was so much fun to have the freedom to wander America, with no assignments. For 25 or 30 years I never had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/it-was-so-much-fun-to-have-the-freedom-to-wander-america-with-no/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [“She didn’t look back. I remember that more than anything else. She didn’t look back. I wanted to mean more to her than that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalisa-crawford/she-didn-t-look-back-i-remember-that-more-than-anything-else-she-didn/) Annalisa Crawford > [I had wanted to be a novelist for so long, but I didn't have a story. That story came from the death of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crais/i-had-wanted-to-be-a-novelist-for-so-long-but-i-didn-t-have-a-story/) [Robert Crais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crais/) > [I was in Las Vegas, and there was a exhibit of King Tut's tomb, and it was an audio tour. At the very end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/i-was-in-las-vegas-and-there-was-a-exhibit-of-king-tut-s-tomb-and-it/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [When it became clear that Lennon was not going to speak with me, it really became a how-I-didn't-get-the-story story. It was a caper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-shames/when-it-became-clear-that-lennon-was-not-going-to-speak-with-me-it/) [Laurence Shames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-shames/) > [When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way-back-in-the-mid-90s-i-had/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [All my life I've been interested in other people's stories. I wanted to know them, understand them, feel them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/all-my-life-i-ve-been-interested-in-other-people-s-stories-i-wanted/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [There are stories I wanted to tell, and they are not defined by what I look like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-kirby/there-are-stories-i-wanted-to-tell-and-they-are-not-defined-by-what-i/) [Malachi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-kirby/) > [“Stories come alive in the telling. Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/stories-come-alive-in-the-telling-without-a-human-voice-to-read-them/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [My works are a direct response to the typical space opera. I grew tired of always reading about how the people with power, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-works-are-a-direct-response-to-the-typical-space-opera-i-grew/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I want to shine a spotlight on a new generation of women, who are creating, funding and managing some of the hottest companies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-bay/i-want-to-shine-a-spotlight-on-a-new-generation-of-women-who-are/) [Willow Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-bay/) > [I wanted to do what I was seeing Dorothy Dandridge doing, what I saw Marilyn Monroe do, what I saw Bette Davis do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-whitfield/i-wanted-to-do-what-i-was-seeing-dorothy-dandridge-doing-what-i-saw/) [Lynn Whitfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-whitfield/) > [I just knew there were stories I wanted to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-knew-there-were-stories-i-wanted-to-tell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Often, she was a princess because they were her stories and she wanted to be a princess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-brightley/often-she-was-a-princess-because-they-were-her-stories-and-she-wanted/) C.J. Brightley > [I started running away when I was five years old. It wasnt until I was an adult that I realized what I really wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-aames/i-started-running-away-when-i-was-five-years-old-it-wasnt-until-i-was/) [Willie Aames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-aames/) ## More by Charles Kuralt > [My parents encouraged me in everything I ever wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/my-parents-encouraged-me-in-everything-i-ever-wanted-to-do/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/you-can-find-your-way-across-this-country-using-burger-joints-the-way/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [I did stories about unexpected encounters, back roads, small towns and ordinary folk, sometimes doing something a little extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/i-did-stories-about-unexpected-encounters-back-roads-small-towns-and/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [When I worked in Los Angeles covering hard news, very often when something important would happen I'd be off in the woods covering something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/when-i-worked-in-los-angeles-covering-hard-news-very-often-when/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [I would like to explore some side roads in life while I am still in good health and good spirits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/i-would-like-to-explore-some-side-roads-in-life-while-i-am-still-in/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [To read the papers and to listen to the news... one would think the country is in terrible trouble. You do not get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/to-read-the-papers-and-to-listen-to-the-news-one-would-think-the/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [TV critics, who traditionally hate television and make their living writing about it, often didn't like what I did on the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/tv-critics-who-traditionally-hate-television-and-make-their-living/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [There are a lot of people who are doing wonderful things, quietly, with no motive of greed, or hostility toward other people, or delusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-are-doing-wonderful-things-quietly-with/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [It is liberalism, whether people like it or not, which has animated all the years of my life. What on Earth did conservatism ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/it-is-liberalism-whether-people-like-it-or-not-which-has-animated-all/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [I didn't know what narcissism was until I beheld my own naricssus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/i-didn-t-know-what-narcissism-was-until-i-beheld-my-own-naricssus/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [A country so rich that it can send people to the moon still has hundreds of thousands of its citizens who can't read. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/a-country-so-rich-that-it-can-send-people-to-the-moon-still-has/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [Good teachers know how to bring out the best in students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/good-teachers-know-how-to-bring-out-the-best-in-students/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [For a while there, I was a stringer. The expression comes from the old habit of stringing together the column inches that you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/for-a-while-there-i-was-a-stringer-the-expression-comes-from-the-old/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/there-is-melancholy-in-the-wind-and-sorrow-in-the-grass/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten, but never, with a fly rod in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/often-i-have-been-exhausted-on-trout-streams-uncomfortable-wet-cold/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) [Explore all 89 Charles Kuralt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) ## More Assignment quotes > [Do not delegate an assignment and then attempt to manage it yourself - you will make an enemy of the overruled subordinate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wess-roberts/do-not-delegate-an-assignment-and-then-attempt-to-manage-it-yourself/) [Wess Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wess-roberts/) > [I am honored to be chosen to serve on the Education and Labor committee. This assignment will give me the opportunity to work on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/i-am-honored-to-be-chosen-to-serve-on-the-education-and-labor/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [“When a man begins to do that which is assigned to him, it becomes as if he is more endowed and favoured than his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/when-a-man-begins-to-do-that-which-is-assigned-to-him-it-becomes-as/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [Just how we fit into the plans of the Great Architect and how much he has assigned us to do we do not know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-andrews-millikan/just-how-we-fit-into-the-plans-of-the-great-architect-and-how-much-he/) [Robert Andrews Millikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-andrews-millikan/) > [“The sum of our relationship with God enables us to take the next step, climb the next mountain, and do the next part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-kauffman/the-sum-of-our-relationship-with-god-enables-us-to-take-the-next-step/) [Katy Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-kauffman/) > [Even with an assignment, I take over, I find a freedom and make the idea my own, and that's where you get the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/even-with-an-assignment-i-take-over-i-find-a-freedom-and-make-the/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [“Your assignment is to love everyone, accepting all that happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/your-assignment-is-to-love-everyone-accepting-all-that-happens-to-you/) [Thomas à Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [They told me I didn't understand the assignment, I told them they didn't understand life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/they-told-me-i-didn-t-understand-the-assignment-i-told-them-they-didn/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [“This is probably just his new assignment, getting close to you so he can use you for information about the Council." "Actually, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/this-is-probably-just-his-new-assignment-getting-close-to-you-so-he/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [One effectively submitted assignment doesn't required the imaginative reference, does it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tivea/one-effectively-submitted-assignment-doesn-t-required-the-imaginative/) [Tivea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tivea/) > [“How good is it to remember one's insignificance: that of a man among billions of men, of an animal amid billions of animals; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/how-good-is-it-to-remember-one-s-insignificance-that-of-a-man-among/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Your assignment is a pre-cursor to someone else’s assignment. In the same breath, someone else’s assignment is a pre-cursor to yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-mashego/your-assignment-is-a-pre-cursor-to-someone-else-s-assignment-in-the/) [D.S. Mashego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-mashego/) > [“Your calling is your life assignment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-calling-is-your-life-assignment/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Your assignment from God is not to change your spouse, but to love, follow, assist, and minister to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/your-assignment-from-god-is-not-to-change-your-spouse-but-to-love/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [I work on words, mostly, toward them being poetry or short stories, and then some of those become songs. They all find their place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-harvey/i-work-on-words-mostly-toward-them-being-poetry-or-short-stories-and/) [P. J. Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-harvey/) Browse all 155 Assignment quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself. So they were always about somebody I like, 'cause if I didn't like him, I just didn't do the story. And to have somebody else paying the bills for this tourism, to every corner of every stage, over and over again? 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