--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've done it 30 years. I don't know what…" description: "\"I've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain by doing it 40. But I think there is something about doing it over that length of time that s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg" --- # I've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain… ![“I've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain by doing it 40. But I think there is something about doing it over that length of time that says something. That's seven U.S. presidents and five presidents of McDonald's.” quote by Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg) > “I've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain by doing it 40. But I think there is something about doing it over that length of time that says something. That's seven U.S. presidents and five presidents of McDonald's.” [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Long-term dedication, even without clear gain, builds credibility and legacy, as shown by multiple presidents and corporate leaders. **In simple terms:** Persistence over decades builds reputation. Key Takeaway Value sustained effort. Themes career longevity legacy dedication Mood reflective inspirational Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - career building - public service - brand development - personal projects Key Concepts reputation institutional memory commitment Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to keep going? - How do you measure progress over long periods? A Different Perspective Longevity may lead to stagnation without evolution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidents/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Always live life to the fullest. after all what is there to gain from doing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-live-life-to-the-fullest-after-all-what-is-there-to-gain-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hope I die before I turn into Pete Townshend. It would look ridiculous to do what we're doing now when I'm 40. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/hope-i-die-before-i-turn-into-pete-townshend-it-would-look-ridiculous/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [People used to ask me, 'What do you reckon you'll be doing when you're 40?', and I told 'em 'rocking out and kicking ass!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-used-to-ask-me-what-do-you-reckon-you-ll-be-doing-when-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't care how much weight's on there. If you're doing 40 reps, that's cardio!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-shaw/i-don-t-care-how-much-weight-s-on-there-if-you-re-doing-40-reps-that/) [Brian Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-shaw/) > [I quite clearly remember driving home at 9 a.m., after shooting all day, in a bathrobe, with bodypaint all over my face, and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/i-quite-clearly-remember-driving-home-at-9-a-m-after-shooting-all-day/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [I started taking part in college competitions... my first-ever performance with a band was in McDonald's, and I got Rs 500. I still have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atif-aslam/i-started-taking-part-in-college-competitions-my-first-ever/) [Atif Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atif-aslam/) > [Food should be cheap, and labor should be cheap, and everything should be the same no matter where you go; whether it's a McDonald's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/food-should-be-cheap-and-labor-should-be-cheap-and-everything-should/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [I'd done my time in corporate America, from McDonald's making shakes to Morgan Stanley making deals and, yet, I felt awfully constrained by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/i-d-done-my-time-in-corporate-america-from-mcdonald-s-making-shakes/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [My food hero has to be Auguste Escoffier. And the villain? The man who's been most responsible for the death of food in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-potts-dawson/my-food-hero-has-to-be-auguste-escoffier-and-the-villain-the-man-who/) [Arthur Potts Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-potts-dawson/) > [I've been married for 23 years to Jeff McDonald from Redd Kross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-caffey/i-ve-been-married-for-23-years-to-jeff-mcdonald-from-redd-kross/) [Charlotte Caffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-caffey/) > [I was such a scared cling-on-to-my-mum's-leg kind of girl, even when I was 15, 16. If I was in McDonald's and I needed ketchup,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perrie-edwards/i-was-such-a-scared-cling-on-to-my-mum-s-leg-kind-of-girl-even-when-i/) [Perrie Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perrie-edwards/) > [I haven't always hated McDonald's. When my kids were little and I lived in the U.S., they were as susceptible as anyone to Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-haven-t-always-hated-mcdonald-s-when-my-kids-were-little-and-i/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [I can eat anything. After practice I can stop at McDonald's. I don't have a problem with gaining weight, thank God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-ovechkin/i-can-eat-anything-after-practice-i-can-stop-at-mcdonald-s-i-don-t/) [Alexander Ovechkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-ovechkin/) > [Sometimes when you're in different countries, everything has become so homogenised and there's a Starbucks and McDonald's everywhere, and you could feel like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-yun-lee/sometimes-when-you-re-in-different-countries-everything-has-become-so/) [Will Yun Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-yun-lee/) > [I used to sit in front of McDonald's and ask people for dollars to get me a cheeseburger. It was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-pain/i-used-to-sit-in-front-of-mcdonald-s-and-ask-people-for-dollars-to/) [T-Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-pain/) ## More by Don Novello > [I'm kind of surprised that so many of those other books were almost exactly like mine. They even follow the form. There were some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-m-kind-of-surprised-that-so-many-of-those-other-books-were-almost/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) > [Theres some kind of dark symbiosis between lunatics and the Postal Service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/theres-some-kind-of-dark-symbiosis-between-lunatics-and-the-postal/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) > [There's some kind of dark symbiosis between lunatics and the Postal Service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/there-s-some-kind-of-dark-symbiosis-between-lunatics-and-the-postal/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) > [Tommy Smothers is my longest mentor, and Dave Eggers is my youngest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/tommy-smothers-is-my-longest-mentor-and-dave-eggers-is-my-youngest/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) > [I never thought I'd be a writer. I never thought I'd be able to read a book, let alone write one. So if books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-never-thought-i-d-be-a-writer-i-never-thought-i-d-be-able-to-read-a/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) > [I wrote that letter, and the one to Nixon. And I wrote more letters, and I thought it might be a magazine article. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-wrote-that-letter-and-the-one-to-nixon-and-i-wrote-more-letters-and/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) > [I have like 250 letters that I have to whittle it down to 150. Only then do you have the whole overview of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-have-like-250-letters-that-i-have-to-whittle-it-down-to-150-only/) [Don Novello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) [Explore all 8 Don Novello quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/) ## 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've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain by doing it 40. But I think there is something about doing it over that length of time that says something. That's seven U.S. presidents and five presidents of McDonald's.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Novello" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what-there-is-to-gain-by-doing-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what-there-is-to-gain-by-doing-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a34/don-novello-47903_about_i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what_748711.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain by doing it 40. But I think there is something…” — Don Novello", "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": "Don Novello", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-novello/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've done it 30 years. I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what-there-is-to-gain-by-doing-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-novello/i-ve-done-it-30-years-i-don-t-know-what-there-is-to-gain-by-doing-it/#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 } } ] } ```