--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me, if you're lucky enough to make…" description: "\"To me, if you're lucky enough to make stuff that people will pay money for, do a good job. Really do a good job. Especially if you're talking about rea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/david-rees-13338_abuse_to-me-if-you-re-lucky-enough-to-make-stu_1737106.png" --- # To me, if you're lucky enough to make stuff that people… ![“To me, if you're lucky enough to make stuff that people will pay money for, do a good job. Really do a good job. Especially if you're talking about real stuff, like terror atrocities and human rights abuses and pencil-sharpening techniques.” quote by David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/david-rees-13338_abuse_to-me-if-you-re-lucky-enough-to-make-stu_1737106.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/david-rees-13338_abuse_to-me-if-you-re-lucky-enough-to-make-stu_1737106.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/david-rees-13338_abuse_to-me-if-you-re-lucky-enough-to-make-stu_1737106.png) > “To me, if you're lucky enough to make stuff that people will pay money for, do a good job. Really do a good job. Especially if you're talking about real stuff, like terror atrocities and human rights abuses and pencil-sharpening techniques.” [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When you create work that people will pay for, you have a duty to do it well, especially on serious topics like atrocities or human rights. **In simple terms:** Earn money, do it well, especially on serious topics. Key Takeaway Treat serious subjects with care and excellence. Themes responsibility quality ethics creativity Mood thoughtful serious Type advice ethical When to use this quote - advertising - documentary filmmaking - journalism - product design Key Concepts professionalism social impact integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance profit motives with ethical storytelling? - What safeguards can ensure accuracy in sensitive subjects? A Different Perspective Good work may still be compromised by market pressures or personal bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Atrocities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't dare to dream of making money. But now of course, I've made many thousands of dollars sharpening pencils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-didn-t-dare-to-dream-of-making-money-but-now-of-course-i-ve-made/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I talked to people in the pencil industry and I talked to people as I was sharpening their pencils about the frustrations they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-talked-to-people-in-the-pencil-industry-and-i-talked-to-people-as-i/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I take pop culture really seriously, I think it's really important, and the stuff that I make...I don't want it to be insubstantial, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-take-pop-culture-really-seriously-i-think-it-s-really-important-and/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I've been really surprised about a lot of the negative comments about artisanal pencil sharpening. Like, it really rubs some people the wrong way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-ve-been-really-surprised-about-a-lot-of-the-negative-comments-about/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I liked sharpening pencils and I was like, "Oh, I wonder if I could get paid to do it." And I figured it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-liked-sharpening-pencils-and-i-was-like-oh-i-wonder-if-i-could-get/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [The time that I would spend revisiting my old Get Your War On strips is more profitably spent Googling myself and reading comments about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/the-time-that-i-would-spend-revisiting-my-old-get-your-war-on-strips/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I started sharpening pencils at the census and how that was a difficult time in my life because my marriage was ending and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-started-sharpening-pencils-at-the-census-and-how-that-was-a/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [The price we have to pay for money is sometimes liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-price-we-have-to-pay-for-money-is-sometimes-liberty/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [If people pay money to see you, they have to cheer. They can't boo, or else they're chumping themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d/if-people-pay-money-to-see-you-they-have-to-cheer-they-can-t-boo-or/) [Mike D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d/) > [If you make a really good product that people want and are willing to pay for, money will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-mars-jr/if-you-make-a-really-good-product-that-people-want-and-are-willing-to/) Forrest Mars, Jr > [I get a lot of p\*ssy but I never got to pay all money in is all a n\*gga got to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-hussle/i-get-a-lot-of-p-ssy-but-i-never-got-to-pay-all-money-in-is-all-a-n/) [Nipsey Hussle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-hussle/) > [A Jose Canseco bat? Tell me...you didn't pay money for this. -Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/a-jose-canseco-bat-tell-me-you-didn-t-pay-money-for-this-raphael/) [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/) > [One of the biggest wake-up calls of my career was when I saw a record contract. I said, 'Wait - you sell it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/one-of-the-biggest-wake-up-calls-of-my-career-was-when-i-saw-a-record/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [The secret of living is to find people who will pay you money to do what YOU would pay to do if you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-caldwell/the-secret-of-living-is-to-find-people-who-will-pay-you-money-to-do/) [Sarah Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-caldwell/) > [If you want to pay your money to see Boney M, you've got to have me on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/if-you-want-to-pay-your-money-to-see-boney-m-you-ve-got-to-have-me-on/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) ## More by David Rees > [I have a really analytical approach to art. And the whole idea that you can't analyze what makes a joke funny...I do not agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-have-a-really-analytical-approach-to-art-and-the-whole-idea-that/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [The thing that was interesting to me about Relationshapes - as opposed to most of the other cartoons I've ever made - was I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/the-thing-that-was-interesting-to-me-about-relationshapes-as-opposed/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I don't even drink Coke. It tastes like robot sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-don-t-even-drink-coke-it-tastes-like-robot-sweat/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I didn't dare to dream of making money. But now of course, I've made many thousands of dollars sharpening pencils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-didn-t-dare-to-dream-of-making-money-but-now-of-course-i-ve-made/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I just wanted a really simple, dramatic way so that fans, people who were reading my comic, would be like, "This is something different."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-just-wanted-a-really-simple-dramatic-way-so-that-fans-people-who/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [Everyone has pencils in their house, no matter how hip and contemporary they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/everyone-has-pencils-in-their-house-no-matter-how-hip-and/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I was just worried that someone was gonna think that I had been commissioned by Jamba Juice to make cartoons about Jamba Juice. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-was-just-worried-that-someone-was-gonna-think-that-i-had-been/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I never thought I would make a living as a pencil-sharpener. The first goal was: I don't want to lose money. And then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-never-thought-i-would-make-a-living-as-a-pencil-sharpener-the-first/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I don't like when performers rag on their ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend in absentia. If they're not there, it just feels rude... I'm never going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-don-t-like-when-performers-rag-on-their-ex-girlfriend-or-ex/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [People think, "Wow, people in America have so much money, they're sending hundreds of pencils to this guy." I don't think those people realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/people-think-wow-people-in-america-have-so-much-money-they-re-sending/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I would make a comic for Rolling Stone every two weeks, because they're biweekly. And then I would make weekly comics for my weekly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-would-make-a-comic-for-rolling-stone-every-two-weeks-because-they/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [The way you make money is to do something you don't like to do. And that's how you know you're a virtuous person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/the-way-you-make-money-is-to-do-something-you-don-t-like-to-do-and/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I started sharpening pencils at the census and how that was a difficult time in my life because my marriage was ending and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-started-sharpening-pencils-at-the-census-and-how-that-was-a/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [I'm interested in the structure of art and how it works. And the content is also interesting, but I don't want to keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-m-interested-in-the-structure-of-art-and-how-it-works-and-the/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [“And you know what happened next in my dream? Dick Cheney and I said the same thing at the same time: "Well, we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/and-you-know-what-happened-next-in-my-dream-dick-cheney-and-i-said/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) [Explore all 50 David Rees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To me, if you're lucky enough to make stuff that people will pay money for, do a good job. Really do a good job. 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