--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this business you either sink or swim…" description: "\"In this business you either sink or swim or you don't.\" — David Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg" --- # In this business you either sink or swim or you don't. ![“In this business you either sink or swim or you don't.” quote by David Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg) > “In this business you either sink or swim or you don't.” [David Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that in business you must fully commit and perform, otherwise you will fail or be irrelevant. **In simple terms:** Business requires total commitment or you fail. Key Takeaway Commit fully or accept failure. Themes business commitment risk performance Mood determined urgent Type motivational pragmatic When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - career decisions - team leadership - market entry Key Concepts competition survival effort Questions to Reflect On - Can you succeed without all‑in effort? - What defines “sinking” in your context? A Different Perspective It ignores the possibility of moderate success or learning from small failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Sink or swim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sink-or-swim/) ## Related quotes > [“At Honda, it’s sink or swim. They don’t teach you step-by-step; they just throw you into the pool and let you figure it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rothfeder/at-honda-it-s-sink-or-swim-they-don-t-teach-you-step-by-step-they/) [Jeffrey Rothfeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rothfeder/) > [Throw me in deep enough, and I sink or swim. I don't care who I fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/throw-me-in-deep-enough-and-i-sink-or-swim-i-don-t-care-who-i-fight/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [“The rules of this house are written in water. I must either sink or swim.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/the-rules-of-this-house-are-written-in-water-i-must-either-sink-or/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [In this game, you're on your own. You either sink or swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-moyes/in-this-game-you-re-on-your-own-you-either-sink-or-swim/) [David Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-moyes/) > [Live or die, sink or swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-peele/live-or-die-sink-or-swim/) [George Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-peele/) > [“It's a sink or swim world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/it-s-a-sink-or-swim-world/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [They don't tell you how to be on TV - they put the camera on you, and they turn it on, and you sink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/they-don-t-tell-you-how-to-be-on-tv-they-put-the-camera-on-you-and/) [Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/) > [They say you can SINK or SWIM... I'm gonna set the bar... I'm gonna FLY...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/they-say-you-can-sink-or-swim-i-m-gonna-set-the-bar-i-m-gonna-fly/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [You want to be in control of a lot. You grow up. You sink or swim. I suppose I swam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/you-want-to-be-in-control-of-a-lot-you-grow-up-you-sink-or-swim-i/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [It's sink or swim for me in 2020.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/it-s-sink-or-swim-for-me-in-2020/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [You are overboard in deep open water without a PFD (personal floatation device), or at least that's what your instructor is yelling. 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However, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-cook/sink-or-swim-you-never-really-feel-ready-there-is-always-sometime/) [Natalie Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-cook/) > [A career is about learning to adapt yourself to the new environment and learning to sink or swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/a-career-is-about-learning-to-adapt-yourself-to-the-new-environment/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. 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Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In this business you either sink or swim or you don't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-smith/in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim-or-you-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-smith/in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim-or-you-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/david-smith-46117_business_in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim_2226681.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In this business you either sink or swim or you don't.” — David Smith", "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 Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In this business you either sink...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-smith/in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim-or-you-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-smith/in-this-business-you-either-sink-or-swim-or-you-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```