--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and…" description: "\"I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and who wants to drive a cab around New York with drugs in their car?\" — Fran Lebowitz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg" --- # I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and who wants to… ![“I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and who wants to drive a cab around New York with drugs in their car?” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg) > “I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and who wants to drive a cab around New York with drugs in their car?” [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Driving a cab with drugs onboard is unsafe and inappropriate, prompting cessation of drug use. **In simple terms:** Drug use endangers others, especially in public service. Key Takeaway Prioritize safety, avoid substances. Themes safety responsibility addiction Mood pragmatic direct Type social ethical When to use this quote - taxi driving - workplace safety - rehabilitation Key Concepts public health personal accountability Questions to Reflect On - How does personal choice affect public safety? - What alternatives exist for safe employment? A Different Perspective Some may argue personal freedom outweighs risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cab/) [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Drive Cab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drive-cab-481016/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drugs 19](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-19-481015/) [Drugs Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-car-481014/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Taking Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-drugs-389461/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wants Drive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-drive-481017/) ## Related quotes > [Luckily when you drive a cab there are two things: You don't have a boss in the cab with you, and you are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/luckily-when-you-drive-a-cab-there-are-two-things-you-don-t-have-a/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I am surprised people took so long to pick up on the fact that my contract expires at the end of this year. Eddie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-hill/i-am-surprised-people-took-so-long-to-pick-up-on-the-fact-that-my/) [Damon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-hill/) > [My wife wants sex in the back of the car and she wants me to drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/my-wife-wants-sex-in-the-back-of-the-car-and-she-wants-me-to-drive/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [I drove a cab. But all the girls I knew when I was young who had to work - there were rich girls -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-drove-a-cab-but-all-the-girls-i-knew-when-i-was-young-who-had-to/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I realize now that taking drugs was like taking an aspirin without having a headache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-realize-now-that-taking-drugs-was-like-taking-an-aspirin-without/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I don't feel drugs should be illegal. I don't think people should take drugs every day, but I don't see any difference with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-barger/i-don-t-feel-drugs-should-be-illegal-i-don-t-think-people-should-take/) [Sonny Barger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-barger/) > [I always think it's better to be not taking drugs or drinking or anything. That's not saying I've never done it because I have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger/i-always-think-it-s-better-to-be-not-taking-drugs-or-drinking-or/) [Mick Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-jagger/) > [“Old Age- You can tell when you're getting old when you stop taking drugs for fun and start taking them to keep you alive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-matthew-nespoli/old-age-you-can-tell-when-you-re-getting-old-when-you-stop-taking/) [J. Matthew Nespoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-matthew-nespoli/) > [“I don’t have any drug stories to tell about myself. Once somebody met me on the street when my quartet was going into Slug’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-carr/i-don-t-have-any-drug-stories-to-tell-about-myself-once-somebody-met/) [Ian Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-carr/) > [I don't think people should do anything to be popular. But maybe within reason they can step out of their comfort zones and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/i-don-t-think-people-should-do-anything-to-be-popular-but-maybe/) [Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/) > [“Taking drugs is stupid. Why mess up your brain like that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kenneally/taking-drugs-is-stupid-why-mess-up-your-brain-like-that/) [Miranda Kenneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kenneally/) > [I guess we all had that work ethic. None of us were rock stars, so if you had time in a studio, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-toop/i-guess-we-all-had-that-work-ethic-none-of-us-were-rock-stars-so-if/) [David Toop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-toop/) > [Now they're calling taking drugs an epidemic - that's cos white folks are doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/now-they-re-calling-taking-drugs-an-epidemic-that-s-cos-white-folks/) [Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/) > [For me going out to party never meant drinking or taking drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-winter/for-me-going-out-to-party-never-meant-drinking-or-taking-drugs/) [Pedro Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-winter/) > [Drinking and taking drugs. I think there was also a sort of druggie or trance-like nature to the way that I used sex as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-dederer/drinking-and-taking-drugs-i-think-there-was-also-a-sort-of-druggie-or/) [Claire Dederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-dederer/) ## More by Fran Lebowitz > [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) [Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## More Cab quotes > [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/) [Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/) > [You know, before I would think, my cab driver hates me. Now I think my limo driver hates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/you-know-before-i-would-think-my-cab-driver-hates-me-now-i-think-my/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Richard Price, who has made a fortune writing fake ghetto books, says he takes a cab into the ghetto, transcribes Black speech for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/richard-price-who-has-made-a-fortune-writing-fake-ghetto-books-says/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [We are about to part," said Neville. "Here are the boxes; here are the cabs. There is Percival in his billycock hat. He will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/we-are-about-to-part-said-neville-here-are-the-boxes-here-are-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Yeah, I'll pay your cab fare home, you can even use my best cologne, just don't be here in the morning when I wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/yeah-i-ll-pay-your-cab-fare-home-you-can-even-use-my-best-cologne/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-was-born-in-the-back-seat-of-a-yellow-cab-in-a-hospital-loading/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [ Somalis have made my city of Wilmington, Delaware, \[their home\] on a smaller scale. There is a large, very identifiable Somali community, i might… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/somalis-have-made-my-city-of-wilmington-delaware-their-home-on-a/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [I'm like Cab Calloway: I love the entertainment, and I've loved entertaining people ever since I was little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyclef-jean/i-m-like-cab-calloway-i-love-the-entertainment-and-i-ve-loved/) [Wyclef Jean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyclef-jean/) > [Manhattan cabs are born old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/manhattan-cabs-are-born-old/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/anytime-four-new-yorkers-get-into-a-cab-together-without-arguing-a/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [It's about how whenever I fall in love, I have these expectations of the experience being a perfect dream, which, of course, ruins it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/it-s-about-how-whenever-i-fall-in-love-i-have-these-expectations-of/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-was-just-taking-her-hand-to-help-her-out-of-a-car-and-i-knew-it-was/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Tokyo cab drivers are all ex-kamikaze pilots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/tokyo-cab-drivers-are-all-ex-kamikaze-pilots/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [In New York City, a lot of people think "the great outdoors" is the area between your front door and a taxi cab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/in-new-york-city-a-lot-of-people-think-the-great-outdoors-is-the-area/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) [Browse all 192 Cab quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cab/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and who wants to drive a cab around New York with drugs in their car?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fran Lebowitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and-who-wants-to-drive-a-cab/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cab" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and-who-wants-to-drive-a-cab/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/fran-lebowitz-690_cab_i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and_1630653.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I stopped taking drugs when I was 19, and who wants to drive a cab around New York with drugs in their car?” — Fran Lebowitz", "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": "Fran Lebowitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I stopped taking drugs when I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and-who-wants-to-drive-a-cab/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-stopped-taking-drugs-when-i-was-19-and-who-wants-to-drive-a-cab/#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 } } ] } ```