--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never taken a job or done a job…" description: "\"I have never taken a job or done a job where I felt I needed to leave my conscience at the door. One of the the great things about not being in politic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/deval-patrick-15111_about_i-have-never-taken-a-job-or-done-a-job-w_783120.png" --- # I have never taken a job or done a job where I felt I… ![“I have never taken a job or done a job where I felt I needed to leave my conscience at the door. One of the the great things about not being in politics as a career is that I can do this job without thinking about my career. I can think about what we're trying to do, what we're trying to…” quote by Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/deval-patrick-15111_about_i-have-never-taken-a-job-or-done-a-job-w_783120.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/deval-patrick-15111_about_i-have-never-taken-a-job-or-done-a-job-w_783120.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/deval-patrick-15111_about_i-have-never-taken-a-job-or-done-a-job-w_783120.png) > “I have never taken a job or done a job where I felt I needed to leave my conscience at the door. One of the the great things about not being in politics as a career is that I can do this job without thinking about my career. I can think about what we're trying to do, what we're trying to accomplish and what we're trying to leave.” [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker emphasizes maintaining personal integrity and purpose over career advancement, especially outside politics. **In simple terms:** Stay true to conscience, focus on mission, not career. Key Takeaway Prioritize integrity over ambition. Themes integrity purpose career politics ethics Mood thoughtful determined Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - non‑profit work - policy advocacy - community projects - career decisions Key Concepts moral philosophy public service personal values Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your work aligns with your conscience? - What sacrifices might be needed to stay ethical? A Different Perspective Balancing personal ethics with professional demands can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I've fixed hard problems of all kinds, civil rights and business problems. It's the stuff I like to do, and I'm good at it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-ve-fixed-hard-problems-of-all-kinds-civil-rights-and-business/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [We only labor to stuff the memory, and leave the conscience and the understanding unfurnished and void.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/we-only-labor-to-stuff-the-memory-and-leave-the-conscience-and-the/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [I never got into politics for it to be a career. It doesn't take a lot of strength to hang on. It takes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/i-never-got-into-politics-for-it-to-be-a-career-it-doesn-t-take-a-lot/) [J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/) > [What we need and have not got at Westminster are real experience and wisdom, possessed by people who do not view politics as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/what-we-need-and-have-not-got-at-westminster-are-real-experience-and/) [Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/) > [I feel very strongly that the country needs dedicated people who have passion... rather than those who are in politics only for a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poonam-dhillon/i-feel-very-strongly-that-the-country-needs-dedicated-people-who-have/) [Poonam Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poonam-dhillon/) > [I hadn't really thought about politics as a career in my twenties or early thirties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-rudd/i-hadn-t-really-thought-about-politics-as-a-career-in-my-twenties-or/) [Amber Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-rudd/) > [I never got into politics for it to be a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/i-never-got-into-politics-for-it-to-be-a-career/) [J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/) > [For me, politics is not a career. For me, my career was being in business and starting a business and making it successful. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/for-me-politics-is-not-a-career-for-me-my-career-was-being-in/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/it-is-the-job-of-thinking-people-not-to-be-on-the-side-of-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You can't do your job thinking about the money. I didn't go to college for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/you-can-t-do-your-job-thinking-about-the-money-i-didn-t-go-to-college/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [I always get scared doing a job. To this day, I start every job thinking, I really can't do this. And what I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sorel/i-always-get-scared-doing-a-job-to-this-day-i-start-every-job/) [Edward Sorel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sorel/) > [If you put someone in a job who is thinking for even a moment about the next job, you have the wrong person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-callahan-erdoes/if-you-put-someone-in-a-job-who-is-thinking-for-even-a-moment-about/) [Mary Callahan Erdoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-callahan-erdoes/) > [The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-conventional-view-serves-to-protect-us-from-the-painful-job-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [When those with ability at their job get to thinking they can't be done without, they're already on their way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/when-those-with-ability-at-their-job-get-to-thinking-they-can-t-be/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [It's not my job thinking about the future because I have a manager. I have a team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/islam-makhachev/it-s-not-my-job-thinking-about-the-future-because-i-have-a-manager-i/) [Islam Makhachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/islam-makhachev/) ## More by Deval Patrick > [Hope for the best and work for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/hope-for-the-best-and-work-for-it/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [Anybody who knows me knows that I'm no attack dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/anybody-who-knows-me-knows-that-i-m-no-attack-dog/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [ Two \[Massachusetts coal burning power plants\] remain: Brayton Point in the South Coast region and Mt. Tom, just down the road. Within the next… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/two-massachusetts-coal-burning-power-plants-remain-brayton-point-in/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [My most vivid memory of my father centers on the day he left. It was warm, and my mother was especially short with Rhonda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/my-most-vivid-memory-of-my-father-centers-on-the-day-he-left-it-was/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [I’m planning to stay in politics now, but, you know, George Burns worked until he was 100. I don’t know. I don’t want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-m-planning-to-stay-in-politics-now-but-you-know-george-burns-worked/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [It's a free country. I wish it weren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/it-s-a-free-country-i-wish-it-weren-t/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [One great thing about being a black man is that if you put on a hat, you can move around unnoticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/one-great-thing-about-being-a-black-man-is-that-if-you-put-on-a-hat/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [I don't want to be a senator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-senator/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [I very much believe in values-based leadership and that the values that I believe in and try to govern by are transcendent values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-very-much-believe-in-values-based-leadership-and-that-the-values/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [We have drained common sense out of our politics. The more we focus on tactics and games, the more good people check out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/we-have-drained-common-sense-out-of-our-politics-the-more-we-focus-on/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [People read inevitability as entitlement, and the American people want their candidates to sweat for the job. They want them to actually make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/people-read-inevitability-as-entitlement-and-the-american-people-want/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [This is a horrific day in Boston. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/this-is-a-horrific-day-in-boston-my-thoughts-and-prayers-are-with/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [In the view of some people, you can only believe in civil rights if you work as a civil rights lawyer. I just don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/in-the-view-of-some-people-you-can-only-believe-in-civil-rights-if/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [I went to big, broken, under-resourced public schools, but we had a real sense of community, because those were days in the '50s and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-went-to-big-broken-under-resourced-public-schools-but-we-had-a-real/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [I think that hope, that ability to envision, to imagine a better way, and then to apply yourself to it, is the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/i-think-that-hope-that-ability-to-envision-to-imagine-a-better-way/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) [Explore all 44 Deval Patrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have never taken a job or done a job where I felt I needed to leave my conscience at the door. One of the the great things about not being in politics as a career is that I can do this job without thinking about my career. 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