---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I haven't been given anything. It's not…"
description: "\"I haven't been given anything. It's not like I was a guy that came straight out of high school and was given a max contract and told how wonderful he w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png"
---

#  I haven't been given anything. It's not like I was a guy…

![“I haven't been given anything. It's not like I was a guy that came straight out of high school and was given a max contract and told how wonderful he was.” quote by David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png)

> “I haven't been given anything. It's not like I was a guy that came straight out of high school and was given a max contract and told how wonderful he was.”

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

## About This Quote

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

Lack of early contracts shows inequality; not all paths start with privileged deals.

**In simple terms:** Not everyone gets a big start in life.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for fair opportunities.

Themes

inequality career sports opportunity

Mood

critical determined

Type

social inspirational

When to use this quote

- youth sports programs
- contract negotiations
- career counseling

Key Concepts

sociology labor rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How can under‑represented athletes gain visibility?
- What reforms are needed in scouting?

A Different Perspective

Systemic bias may limit change despite effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract/) [Contract Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contract-told-2092539/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-max-2092540/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Max Contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/max-contract-2092538/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/)

## Related quotes

> [I call a spade a spade. If you're doing things the wrong way, I'm going to let you know regardless if you're the max-contract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-beverley/i-call-a-spade-a-spade-if-you-re-doing-things-the-wrong-way-i-m-going/)

[Patrick Beverley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-beverley/)

> [If I didn't play the way how I played, I wouldn't have gotten no max contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephon-marbury/if-i-didn-t-play-the-way-how-i-played-i-wouldn-t-have-gotten-no-max/)

[Stephon Marbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephon-marbury/)

> [When I signed the contract, I told Salman I am doing 'Bigg Boss' in Marathi. He was more than happy and is hopeful I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-manjrekar/when-i-signed-the-contract-i-told-salman-i-am-doing-bigg-boss-in/)

[Mahesh Manjrekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-manjrekar/)

> [I'd thought, Once I get that big contract, all my problems will go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-d-thought-once-i-get-that-big-contract-all-my-problems-will-go-away/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [When I was in high school, I was a bad singer. I mean, all my early acting was musical theater, and my first ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-claflin/when-i-was-in-high-school-i-was-a-bad-singer-i-mean-all-my-early/)

[Sam Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-claflin/)

> [I had good time in high school, but I don't think I learned a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-peebles/i-had-good-time-in-high-school-but-i-don-t-think-i-learned-a-lot/)

[Jim Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-peebles/)

> [I was in an a cappella group in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/i-was-in-an-a-cappella-group-in-high-school/)

[Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/)

> [I was raised in a Christian household and went to a Christian high school, so I believe in creationism, for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-griffin/i-was-raised-in-a-christian-household-and-went-to-a-christian-high/)

[Blake Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-griffin/)

> [I look forward to the day that a lot of the folks that you all talk about and cover on this network will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-forward-to-the-day-that-a-lot-of-the-folks-that-you-all-talk/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We went to a very small high school. It was, like, in a wooded house; it was a weird school. I hung out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-peretti/we-went-to-a-very-small-high-school-it-was-like-in-a-wooded-house-it/)

[Chelsea Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-peretti/)

> [I went straight from high school to 'Gossip Girl,' and both were very structured, scheduled environments, so I never had freedom to explore and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/i-went-straight-from-high-school-to-gossip-girl-and-both-were-very/)

[Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/)

> [I went to Enloe High School and then East Carolina University and graduated with a business degree in marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-rae/i-went-to-enloe-high-school-and-then-east-carolina-university-and/)

[Summer Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-rae/)

> [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/)

[Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/)

## More by David Lee

> [There are ups and downs to the season and how you handle those things emotionally is huge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/there-are-ups-and-downs-to-the-season-and-how-you-handle-those-things/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [Obviously, I'm very confident I can help a team win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/obviously-i-m-very-confident-i-can-help-a-team-win/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [There are few moments in science in which you genuinely are excited. The discovery of superfluidity in helium-3 was one of those moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/there-are-few-moments-in-science-in-which-you-genuinely-are-excited/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [Every coach needs talent to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/every-coach-needs-talent-to-win/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [It's something that as you go on in your career you make little changes and little adjustments and that's part of the fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/it-s-something-that-as-you-go-on-in-your-career-you-make-little/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [I have kind of loose ankles a little bit, and sometimes that's not always good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-have-kind-of-loose-ankles-a-little-bit-and-sometimes-that-s-not/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [Liquid helium belongs to a class of fluids known as quantum fluids, as distinct from classical fluids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/liquid-helium-belongs-to-a-class-of-fluids-known-as-quantum-fluids-as/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [I have always been lucky enough to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-have-always-been-lucky-enough-to-have-thanksgiving-dinner-with-my/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [I don't care about numbers. I can get 30 points pretty much anytime I want. I get satisfaction from winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-don-t-care-about-numbers-i-can-get-30-points-pretty-much-anytime-i/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [ I was 23, and I was in L.A. while on hiatus \[as an understudy\] from Biloxi Blues on Broadway. The guy that I'd been… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-was-23-and-i-was-in-l-a-while-on-hiatus-as-an-understudy-from/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [It is tough to go out as a rookie and play every game perfect. It is tough to be consistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/it-is-tough-to-go-out-as-a-rookie-and-play-every-game-perfect-it-is/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [My first project was to build an ionization gauge control circuit for Professor Edgar Everhart's Cockcroft-Walton accelerator. In those days, vacuum tubes were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/my-first-project-was-to-build-an-ionization-gauge-control-circuit-for/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [To me, playing video games is a way for me to put my feet up and relax during the season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/to-me-playing-video-games-is-a-way-for-me-to-put-my-feet-up-and-relax/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [Look, a lot of people in my grandfather's position would have chosen to go out and be really wild with their spending and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/look-a-lot-of-people-in-my-grandfather-s-position-would-have-chosen/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [I was the last pick of the first round. I was the 17th guy on a 15-man roster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-was-the-last-pick-of-the-first-round-i-was-the-17th-guy-on-a-15-man/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

[Explore all 118 David Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

## 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": "I haven't been given anything. It's not like I was a guy that came straight out of high school and was given a max contract and told how wonderful he was.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Lee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-like-i-was-a-guy-that-came/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contract"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-like-i-was-a-guy-that-came/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/david-lee-3951_contract_i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-l_998627.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I haven't been given anything. It's not like I was a guy that came straight out of high school and was given…” — David Lee",
                "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": "David Lee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I haven't been given anything. It's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-like-i-was-a-guy-that-came/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-haven-t-been-given-anything-it-s-not-like-i-was-a-guy-that-came/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
