--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I moved to the east coast when everybody…" description: "\"I moved to the east coast when everybody else was going to the west coast. I (then) chased it back toward the west coast. I built my career up by doing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/drew-waters-17922_built_i-moved-to-the-east-coast-when-everybody_1154678.jpg" --- # I moved to the east coast when everybody else was going to… ![“I moved to the east coast when everybody else was going to the west coast. I (then) chased it back toward the west coast. I built my career up by doing small roles (which led) to principal roles and getting bumped into main character roles.” quote by Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/drew-waters-17922_built_i-moved-to-the-east-coast-when-everybody_1154678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/drew-waters-17922_built_i-moved-to-the-east-coast-when-everybody_1154678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/drew-waters-17922_built_i-moved-to-the-east-coast-when-everybody_1154678.jpg) > “I moved to the east coast when everybody else was going to the west coast. I (then) chased it back toward the west coast. I built my career up by doing small roles (which led) to principal roles and getting bumped into main character roles.” [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) ## 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 describes a career path that involved moving opposite to prevailing trends, starting with modest roles and gradually advancing to leading positions. **In simple terms:** He moved opposite to the crowd, started small, and grew into big roles. Key Takeaway Take small steps and stay adaptable. Themes career development adaptability trend following perseverance growth Mood motivational determined Type inspirational career When to use this quote - career planning - entrepreneurship - storytelling - coaching Key Concepts career strategy personal narrative motivation Questions to Reflect On - What small role can you take today to advance? - How do you decide when to follow or defy trends? A Different Perspective Focusing on geography may oversimplify the complexity of career success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [East coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east-coast/) [Main character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-character/) [Main characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-characters/) [Small roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-roles/) [West coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-coast/) ## Related quotes > [The only way to change the world is to change the main character of our story - the one we believe that we are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/the-only-way-to-change-the-world-is-to-change-the-main-character-of/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [Yes, I do feel the world revolves around me. After all, I am the main character of my own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefanie-schneider/yes-i-do-feel-the-world-revolves-around-me-after-all-i-am-the-main/) [Stefanie Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefanie-schneider/) > [Stay humble to the craft and never forget how much it actually takes to be the main character of a documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-nielsen-horanyi/stay-humble-to-the-craft-and-never-forget-how-much-it-actually-takes/) Nicole Nielsen Horanyi > [“All people live in a fantasy in which they are the main character.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiichi-sigsawa/all-people-live-in-a-fantasy-in-which-they-are-the-main-character/) [Keiichi Sigsawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiichi-sigsawa/) > [I do think that in the near future, if it hasn't happened already, people will be able to use technology to design their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-do-think-that-in-the-near-future-if-it-hasn-t-happened-already/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [There's no great movie where you haven't been emotionally connected to the main character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harald-zwart/there-s-no-great-movie-where-you-haven-t-been-emotionally-connected/) [Harald Zwart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harald-zwart/) > [If you see young tulkus when they're with other little monks, it's like in a Broadway show or something where the main character is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-see-young-tulkus-when-they-re-with-other-little-monks-it-s/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Think of every character as a main character. They believe they're the main characters in their stories. No one should just be an obstacle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-edlund/think-of-every-character-as-a-main-character-they-believe-they-re-the/) [Ben Edlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-edlund/) > [I think we're always trying to avoid tropes. And I think that "Game of Thrones" has almost made killing people a cliche. For us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/i-think-we-re-always-trying-to-avoid-tropes-and-i-think-that-game-of/) [Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/) > [Because the writer must be a participant in the scene, while he's writing it — or at least taping it, or even sketching it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/because-the-writer-must-be-a-participant-in-the-scene-while-he-s/) [Hunter S. 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In this play, I had a strong main character and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/if-you-re-writing-a-screenplay-from-scratch-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/) ## More by Drew Waters > [(I want to) make good stories that have a redemptive message and allow people to dig into their own lives and personal struggles and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/i-want-to-make-good-stories-that-have-a-redemptive-message-and-allow/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [As luck would have (it was) in God's hands. It was me...The billionaire (part) was a stretch but I thought the almighty dollar was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/as-luck-would-have-it-was-in-god-s-hands-it-was-me-the-billionaire/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [I was more of kind (who was better at) building businesses and selling them. That was a big thing for me. I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/i-was-more-of-kind-who-was-better-at-building-businesses-and-selling/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [I want to make movies - and I want to portray characters - that make people think. I want to make movies that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/i-want-to-make-movies-and-i-want-to-portray-characters-that-make/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [It's the purest form of silver and our tagline is "Taking the 'except fors' out of movies." We're trying to make movies with pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/it-s-the-purest-form-of-silver-and-our-tagline-is-taking-the-except/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [I had retail businesses. They were beauty businesses, skin care and all that. I got into that as a fluke. 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When I heard that I'd get to play his younger years, (I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/i-m-a-big-fan-of-james-garner-that-was-the-other-thing-when-i-heard/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [You know, Longmire and all those other great (whodunit) series, I would love to one of those. We just haven't found the right one...I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/you-know-longmire-and-all-those-other-great-whodunit-series-i-would/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [That's the most important thing when you're trying to portray a character for the audience to believe, you have to have the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/that-s-the-most-important-thing-when-you-re-trying-to-portray-a/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [The problem was with construction and retail, you have to be able to shut things off at night and spend quality time with yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/the-problem-was-with-construction-and-retail-you-have-to-be-able-to/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [I love taking on challenges. 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When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. 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