---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first question to ask about your next…"
description: "\"“The first question to ask about your next meeting; is this meeting really necessary?”\" — Emily M. Axelrod"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg"
---

#  The first question to ask about your next meeting; is this…

![“The first question to ask about your next meeting; is this meeting really necessary?” quote by Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg)

> ““The first question to ask about your next meeting; is this meeting really necessary?””

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Questioning the purpose of a meeting helps avoid wasted time and focus on essential work.

**In simple terms:** Ask if a meeting is truly needed.

Key Takeaway

Cancel unnecessary meetings.

Themes

productivity efficiency time management

Mood

focused pragmatic

Type

advisory practical

When to use this quote

- team planning
- project updates
- client calls

Key Concepts

meeting purpose decision making

Questions to Reflect On

- Is the meeting’s goal clear?
- What could be achieved without a meeting?

A Different Perspective

May overlook informal networking benefits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Organizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organizations/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) [Teams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teams/)

## Related quotes

> [“So even if you’re just an invited participant, you should ask yourself if the meeting—and your attendance—is desirable and justified.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-s-grove/so-even-if-you-re-just-an-invited-participant-you-should-ask-yourself/)

[Andrew S. Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-s-grove/)

> [I enjoy meeting someone and then really getting to know them and then falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-enjoy-meeting-someone-and-then-really-getting-to-know-them-and-then/)

[Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/)

> [A great strategy meeting is a meeting of minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/a-great-strategy-meeting-is-a-meeting-of-minds/)

[Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/)

> [When the outcome of a meeting is to have another meeting, it has been a lousy meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/when-the-outcome-of-a-meeting-is-to-have-another-meeting-it-has-been/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

> [I don't think you can describe your ideal girl. A big part of that is just meeting someone and really clicking with them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/i-don-t-think-you-can-describe-your-ideal-girl-a-big-part-of-that-is/)

[Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/)

> [I've played for teams that were family-oriented organizations. They made you feel like family. The Yankees are strictly a business. Baseball is your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sheffield/i-ve-played-for-teams-that-were-family-oriented-organizations-they/)

[Gary Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sheffield/)

> [Dividers seek to make themselves look or feel better by making others feel worse. They damage relationships, fracture teams and organizations, and create havoc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/dividers-seek-to-make-themselves-look-or-feel-better-by-making-others/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [I fell in love with the topic of leadership. For three decades, that has been a major focus of my hands-on work: listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/i-fell-in-love-with-the-topic-of-leadership-for-three-decades-that/)

[Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/)

> [The question which we must ask ourselves is not whether we like or do not like what is going on, but what we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-question-which-we-must-ask-ourselves-is-not-whether-we-like-or-do/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [“In a sentence, as you meet your friends and new people, shift from asking yourself the very natural question of “What’s in it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-a-sentence-as-you-meet-your-friends-and-new-people-shift-from/)

[Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/)

> [“Would it have made a difference? This is the question we always ask after we have given up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-king/would-it-have-made-a-difference-this-is-the-question-we-always-ask/)

[Thomas King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-king/)

> [Every time something bad happens to me, I don't ask the question, 'Why did it happen to me?' The question I ask is, 'Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-cummings/every-time-something-bad-happens-to-me-i-don-t-ask-the-question-why/)

[Elijah Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-cummings/)

> [“May I ask you a question?” “You may ask me anything,” he replied. “Whether or not I may answer is another issue altogether,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-savage/may-i-ask-you-a-question-you-may-ask-me-anything-he-replied-whether/)

[Vivienne Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-savage/)

> [“What’s the best that can happen? That is the question to ask. What”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-gawdat/what-s-the-best-that-can-happen-that-is-the-question-to-ask-what/)

[Mo Gawdat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-gawdat/)

> [The most important question to ask is "What am I becoming?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-most-important-question-to-ask-is-what-am-i-becoming/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

## More by Emily M. Axelrod

> [“Personal connection builds trust;connection to the task builds energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/personal-connection-builds-trust-connection-to-the-task-builds-energy/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“Dialogues build strong links when they are about things that matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/dialogues-build-strong-links-when-they-are-about-things-that-matter/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“No matter what role you play in a meeting, how you show up in that role is critical to the meeting’s success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/no-matter-what-role-you-play-in-a-meeting-how-you-show-up-in-that/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“Having clear decision rules saves heartburn later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/having-clear-decision-rules-saves-heartburn-later/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“In their desire to make their point, presenters miss the point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/in-their-desire-to-make-their-point-presenters-miss-the-point/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“How you enter a space and how you leave a space is as important as what happens in the space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/how-you-enter-a-space-and-how-you-leave-a-space-is-as-important-as/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“Don't do for a group what a group can do for itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/don-t-do-for-a-group-what-a-group-can-do-for-itself/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

> [“Because meetings involve people, things can and will go wrong. Provide first aid when necessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/because-meetings-involve-people-things-can-and-will-go-wrong-provide/)

[Emily M. Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

[Explore all 9 Emily M. Axelrod quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/)

## More Meeting quotes

> [I love people who have such passion for complete nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-love-people-who-have-such-passion-for-complete-nonsense/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [If you're in a meeting and a man talks loudly over you, rather than copying that behaviour and normalising it, what you could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/if-you-re-in-a-meeting-and-a-man-talks-loudly-over-you-rather-than/)

[Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/)

> [We simply do not have time as we move from one meeting to the next to have hours to peruse leisure websites of whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/we-simply-do-not-have-time-as-we-move-from-one-meeting-to-the-next-to/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [“If you are an outgoing, positive, can-do type of person, I think you'll love calling Charlotte home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-hoover/if-you-are-an-outgoing-positive-can-do-type-of-person-i-think-you-ll/)

Harry Hoover

> [People wonder if its possible to meet a person, or to just read their name out loud for the first time and within those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-wonder-if-its-possible-to-meet-a-person-or-to-just-read-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“A shooting star, a cloud, or some sign from the Goddess…? One second later, the world shattered. Her father's grumbling voice was suddenly cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-shreffler/a-shooting-star-a-cloud-or-some-sign-from-the-goddess-one-second/)

[T.L. Shreffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-shreffler/)

> [Before we joined BABYMETAL, we weren't that familiar with metal, but we learned a lot from Metallica. Watching their shows and even meeting them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzuka-nakamoto/before-we-joined-babymetal-we-weren-t-that-familiar-with-metal-but-we/)

[Suzuka Nakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzuka-nakamoto/)

> [I don't like the process of meeting someone and you make a film and that's it. You think you're just getting started, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/i-don-t-like-the-process-of-meeting-someone-and-you-make-a-film-and/)

[Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/)

> [I could spend my life having meetings, a meeting to have another meeting, a hundred meetings to have another thousand meetings. It's not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-green/i-could-spend-my-life-having-meetings-a-meeting-to-have-another/)

[Philip Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-green/)

> [Some artists don't want to be involved in anything outside the performing. They'll say, 'You make the decisions and tell me what to do.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/some-artists-don-t-want-to-be-involved-in-anything-outside-the/)

[Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/)

> [Are your people uncomfortable during meetings and tired at the end? If not, they're probably not mixing it up enough and getting to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/are-your-people-uncomfortable-during-meetings-and-tired-at-the-end-if/)

[Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/)

> [Of course, I'd like to fall in love and get married one day - my brother has just got engaged and I'm thrilled for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-piper/of-course-i-d-like-to-fall-in-love-and-get-married-one-day-my-brother/)

[Katie Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-piper/)

> [The best compliment came from Knopf's Sonny Mehta. We were at lunch in New York with my editor, Gary Fisketjon, it was my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/the-best-compliment-came-from-knopf-s-sonny-mehta-we-were-at-lunch-in/)

[Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/)

> [Sometimes I have a little social anxiety, and meeting people can be a challenge for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coy-bowles/sometimes-i-have-a-little-social-anxiety-and-meeting-people-can-be-a/)

[Coy Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coy-bowles/)

> [I can't count the number of times I've sat in a meeting where it's been 20 men and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-dubuc/i-can-t-count-the-number-of-times-i-ve-sat-in-a-meeting-where-it-s/)

[Nancy Dubuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-dubuc/)

Browse all 1,106 Meeting quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The first question to ask about your next meeting; is this meeting really necessary?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emily M. Axelrod"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-next-meeting-is-this-meeting/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Meeting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-next-meeting-is-this-meeting/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/emily-m-axelrod-43266_meeting_the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-nex_755661.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The first question to ask about your next meeting; is this meeting really necessary?” — Emily M. Axelrod",
                "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": "Emily M. Axelrod",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-axelrod/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The first question to ask about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-next-meeting-is-this-meeting/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-axelrod/the-first-question-to-ask-about-your-next-meeting-is-this-meeting/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
