--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You won’t get fired if you do something…" description: "\"“You won’t get fired if you do something, you will if you don’t do anything. Do something if it is wrong, for you can correct that, but there is no way..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/david-mccullough-1091_fired_you-won-t-get-fired-if-you-do-something_2860199.png" --- # You won’t get fired if you do something, you will if you… ![“You won’t get fired if you do something, you will if you don’t do anything. Do something if it is wrong, for you can correct that, but there is no way to correct nothing.” quote by David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/david-mccullough-1091_fired_you-won-t-get-fired-if-you-do-something_2860199.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/david-mccullough-1091_fired_you-won-t-get-fired-if-you-do-something_2860199.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/579/david-mccullough-1091_fired_you-won-t-get-fired-if-you-do-something_2860199.png) > ““You won’t get fired if you do something, you will if you don’t do anything. Do something if it is wrong, for you can correct that, but there is no way to correct nothing.”” [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Action prevents stagnation; inaction guarantees failure, so intervene when something is wrong. **In simple terms:** Doing something avoids failure; doing nothing leads to failure. Key Takeaway Act when you see a problem. Themes leadership responsibility action failure correction Mood motivational serious Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - workplace management - personal development - public policy Key Concepts ethics decision making Questions to Reflect On - What risks do you avoid by acting? - When is inaction justified? A Different Perspective May ignore risks of hasty actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [When I fire, I just look at them and I say, 'You're fired.' I don't prolong it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-harrison/when-i-fire-i-just-look-at-them-and-i-say-you-re-fired-i-don-t/) [Corey Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-harrison/) > [At some point you may get fired, but don't worry you will learn from it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-giles/at-some-point-you-may-get-fired-but-don-t-worry-you-will-learn-from-it/) Nancy Giles > [I saw Islam as the correct way to live, and I chose to try to live that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-saw-islam-as-the-correct-way-to-live-and-i-chose-to-try-to-live/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [There's a correct way to succeed. The incorrect way is to do things incorrectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-s-a-correct-way-to-succeed-the-incorrect-way-is-to-do-things/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [Just because something has always been done a certain way does not necessarily mean it’s the best way, or the correct way, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-camp/just-because-something-has-always-been-done-a-certain-way-does-not/) Joe Camp > [I arranged to have a kid, with someone I could trust. I no longer wanted to be married, to do it the long way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/i-arranged-to-have-a-kid-with-someone-i-could-trust-i-no-longer/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [The correct way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-correct-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you do your work the correct way, you get to see effects. If you do it wrong, you get some mess to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishal-ostwal/if-you-do-your-work-the-correct-way-you-get-to-see-effects-if-you-do/) [Vishal Ostwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishal-ostwal/) > [What I am really saying is that you don’t need to do anything, because if you see yourself in the correct way, you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/what-i-am-really-saying-is-that-you-don-t-need-to-do-anything-because/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [My high school coach used to tell me there's no correct way to shoot, that the only correct way was to get the ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/my-high-school-coach-used-to-tell-me-there-s-no-correct-way-to-shoot/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/you-have-your-way-i-have-my-way-as-for-the-right-way-the-correct-way-2/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“He loved her with all his soul, but in his own way, which was the correct way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/he-loved-her-with-all-his-soul-but-in-his-own-way-which-was-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kavadlo/you-have-your-way-i-have-my-way-as-for-the-right-way-the-correct-way/) [Al Kavadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kavadlo/) > [“You don’t kiss the correct way,” she blurted out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/you-don-t-kiss-the-correct-way-she-blurted-out/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) > [There is no one correct way to bat, and so of course there is no one correct stance for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-musial/there-is-no-one-correct-way-to-bat-and-so-of-course-there-is-no-one/) [Stan Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-musial/) ## More by David McCullough > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Steamboats by this time were becoming a familiar presence on the rivers and coastal waters of America, but not until 1838 did steam-powered ships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/steamboats-by-this-time-were-becoming-a-familiar-presence-on-the/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I feel that history is in many ways the most important of all subjects because it is about everything and because it's about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-feel-that-history-is-in-many-ways-the-most-important-of-all/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. If we look into history, we shall find some nations rising from contemptible beginnings and spreading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/even-mighty-states-and-kingdoms-are-not-exempted-if-we-look-into/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [History isn't just what happened, but what happened to whom and why and what would have been different if the cast of characters had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/history-isn-t-just-what-happened-but-what-happened-to-whom-and-why/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Nobody ever lived in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/nobody-ever-lived-in-the-past/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Only TR openly declared his love for the job. “Nobody ever enjoyed the presidency as I did,” he boasted, and by all evidence that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/only-tr-openly-declared-his-love-for-the-job-nobody-ever-enjoyed-the/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“s ships Phoenix and Rose, in the company of three tenders, cast off their moorings at Staten Island and started up the harbor under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/s-ships-phoenix-and-rose-in-the-company-of-three-tenders-cast-off/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“a people may let a King fall, yet still remain a people, but if a King let his people slip from him, he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/a-people-may-let-a-king-fall-yet-still-remain-a-people-but-if-a-king/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Why limit yourself to the experience of your own relatively brief time on earth, according to your biological clock, when the whole realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/why-limit-yourself-to-the-experience-of-your-own-relatively-brief/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“He worked at a plain, tall desk at which he wrote standing up or perched on a high stool,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/he-worked-at-a-plain-tall-desk-at-which-he-wrote-standing-up-or/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Nothing happens in isolation. Everything that happens has consequences. We”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/nothing-happens-in-isolation-everything-that-happens-has-consequences/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [America faces an enemy who believes in enforced ignorance. And all that we stand for is the open mind, the generous spirit, the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/america-faces-an-enemy-who-believes-in-enforced-ignorance-and-all/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/my-shorthand-answer-is-that-i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-book-that-i/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Seen under the microscope, Stegomyia is a creature of striking beauty. Its general color is dark gray, but the thorax is marked with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/seen-under-the-microscope-stegomyia-is-a-creature-of-striking-beauty/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) [Explore all 291 David McCullough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ## More Fired quotes > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [“It's no accident that in a bureaucracy getting fired is called 'termination,' as in ontological erasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-no-accident-that-in-a-bureaucracy-getting-fired-is-called/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [In my real life, hard work, doing my job, working well with others and finding solutions without drama has never gotten me fired before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/in-my-real-life-hard-work-doing-my-job-working-well-with-others-and/) [Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/) > [Basically, Pizza Hut just backed out on the ad agency at the last minute. They got fired and we got fired. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-ween/basically-pizza-hut-just-backed-out-on-the-ad-agency-at-the-last/) [Gene Ween](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-ween/) > [They'll totally hire me if I say I got fired from my job on the Hill because of a sex scandal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-cutler/they-ll-totally-hire-me-if-i-say-i-got-fired-from-my-job-on-the-hill/) [Jessica Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-cutler/) > [“If you get fired from your job, that’s outside your control, so you shouldn’t be personally invested in your job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/if-you-get-fired-from-your-job-that-s-outside-your-control-so-you/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [When I got fired, I had a feeling of loss because Viacom had been a passionate long-term relationship. But I got my balance back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-freston/when-i-got-fired-i-had-a-feeling-of-loss-because-viacom-had-been-a/) [Tom Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-freston/) > [I have to thank the guy who fired me because he was also the guy who hired me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-savard/i-have-to-thank-the-guy-who-fired-me-because-he-was-also-the-guy-who/) Serge Savard > [We've all had someone break our hearts or have been fired from a job or have been cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/we-ve-all-had-someone-break-our-hearts-or-have-been-fired-from-a-job/) [Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/) > [My life is my business and you're fired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/my-life-is-my-business-and-you-re-fired/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [When I fire, I just look at them and I say, 'You're fired.' I don't prolong it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-harrison/when-i-fire-i-just-look-at-them-and-i-say-you-re-fired-i-don-t/) [Corey Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-harrison/) > [Michael Vick on Andy Reid being fired: 'It's a dog eat dog world out there.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/michael-vick-on-andy-reid-being-fired-it-s-a-dog-eat-dog-world-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you've got to get fired, it's really fabulous to get fired with a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorja-fox/if-you-ve-got-to-get-fired-it-s-really-fabulous-to-get-fired-with-a/) [Jorja Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorja-fox/) > [“Shortly before I was fired, the company at the Desoto Solar Farm emailed me the legally required OSHA signs to install in my office.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/shortly-before-i-was-fired-the-company-at-the-desoto-solar-farm/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [There has never been a master plan. Anyone who wanted to do it, we fired because it takes on a life of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/there-has-never-been-a-master-plan-anyone-who-wanted-to-do-it-we/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 514 Fired quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You won’t get fired if you do something, you will if you don’t do anything. 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