--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obviously, the person who had most…" description: "\"Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson.\" — Dennis Ritchie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg" --- # Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career… ![“Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson.” quote by Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg) > “Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson.” [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ken Thompson’s influence shaped the speaker’s career through mentorship and technical collaboration. **In simple terms:** Mentor’s impact on career. Key Takeaway Seek mentors who inspire you. Themes career mentorship influence Mood grateful reflective Type inspirational professional When to use this quote - software development - academic research - team leadership Key Concepts software engineering collaboration legacy Questions to Reflect On - Who has guided your professional path? - How can you pay forward that influence? A Different Perspective Reliance on one mentor may limit diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thompson/) ## Related quotes > [Dick Clark was a really great influence in my career; he helped me a lot with his whole organization, and they were awesome to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/dick-clark-was-a-really-great-influence-in-my-career-he-helped-me-a/) [Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/) > [There have been a lot of strong women who have had a huge influence on my career. I'm working with Imelda Staunton at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-horne/there-have-been-a-lot-of-strong-women-who-have-had-a-huge-influence/) [Mathew Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-horne/) > [Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson. Unix was basically his, likewise C's predecessor, likewise much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [My dad had a huge influence on my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-schumacher/my-dad-had-a-huge-influence-on-my-career/) [Mick Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-schumacher/) > [I would say Triple H is the biggest influence on my career. He's almost like a father figure. If I slip up, or there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-amore/i-would-say-triple-h-is-the-biggest-influence-on-my-career-he-s/) [Enzo Amore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-amore/) > [I'd have to say Steven Gerrard has been the biggest influence in my career so far. I watched him when I was younger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-henderson/i-d-have-to-say-steven-gerrard-has-been-the-biggest-influence-in-my/) [Jordan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-henderson/) > [There's not one major greatest influence on my career. It would be film and great artists and great imagineers - Jim Henson, Walt Disney,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-posen/there-s-not-one-major-greatest-influence-on-my-career-it-would-be/) [Zac Posen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-posen/) > [Obviously my parents have been a massive influence on me my whole career, taking me around everywhere and putting me in this position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-trump/obviously-my-parents-have-been-a-massive-influence-on-me-my-whole/) [Judd Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-trump/) > [Bobby Cox had the biggest influence in my career and probably the second- or third-biggest influence in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glavine/bobby-cox-had-the-biggest-influence-in-my-career-and-probably-the/) [Tom Glavine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glavine/) > [I think the one person that has the most influence on me is the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melky-cabrera/i-think-the-one-person-that-has-the-most-influence-on-me-is-the-lord/) [Melky Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melky-cabrera/) > [I don't necessarily think, as a person of influence, that it's always my job to influence people regarding my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/i-don-t-necessarily-think-as-a-person-of-influence-that-it-s-always/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [“The only person, who can influence your life is YOU and it's never too late to recognize your worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-rakib/the-only-person-who-can-influence-your-life-is-you-and-it-s-never-too/) [M.H. Rakib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-rakib/) > [If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/if-you-get-to-thinking-you-re-a-person-of-some-influence-try-ordering/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [The person who has the most influence on me is my mother. Think of life as a flight where we fly higher and higher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-person-who-has-the-most-influence-on-me-is-my-mother-think-of/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [If your desire is to be successful or to make a positive impact on your world, you need to become a person of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/if-your-desire-is-to-be-successful-or-to-make-a-positive-impact-on/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) ## More by Dennis Ritchie > [Any editing, software work, and mail is done in this exported Plan 9](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/any-editing-software-work-and-mail-is-done-in-this-exported-plan-9/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [I can't recall any difficulty in making the C language definition completely open - any discussion on the matter tended to mention languages whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/i-can-t-recall-any-difficulty-in-making-the-c-language-definition/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [I listen to mostly-classical music, but mostly by radio - I'm not an audiophile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/i-listen-to-mostly-classical-music-but-mostly-by-radio-i-m-not-an/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [I'm still uncertain about the language declaration syntax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/i-m-still-uncertain-about-the-language-declaration-syntax/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson. Unix was basically his, likewise C's predecessor, likewise much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [Sometimes when you fill a vacuum, it still sucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/sometimes-when-you-fill-a-vacuum-it-still-sucks/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [Steve Jobs has said that Xwindows is brain-damamged and will disappear in two years. He got it half-right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/steve-jobs-has-said-that-xwindows-is-brain-damamged-and-will/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [I've done a reasonable amount of travelling, which I enjoyed, but not for too long at a time. 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It's still fairly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/c-is-declining-somewhat-in-usage-compared-to-c-and-maybe-java-but/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [It's true that compared with the scene when Unix started, today the ecological niches are fairly full, and fresh new OS ideas are harder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/it-s-true-that-compared-with-the-scene-when-unix-started-today-the/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [The notion of a record is an obsolete remnant of the days of the 80-column card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/the-notion-of-a-record-is-an-obsolete-remnant-of-the-days-of-the-80/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [The True-GNU philosophy is more extreme than I care for, but it certainly laid a foundation for the current scene, as well as providing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/the-true-gnu-philosophy-is-more-extreme-than-i-care-for-but-it/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) [Explore all 49 Dennis Ritchie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) ## More Careers quotes > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. 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My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/) [Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/) > [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/) [Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/) Browse all 6,154 Careers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dennis Ritchie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Careers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb9/dennis-ritchie-13863_careers_obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influe_3162204.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson.” — Dennis Ritchie", "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": "Dennis Ritchie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Obviously, the person who had most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken-2/#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 } } ] } ```