--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was unloading sides of beef down on the…" description: "\"I was unloading sides of beef down on the docks when I decided enough was enough. By then, I'd done a lot of reading on my own, so I persuaded New York..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png" --- # I was unloading sides of beef down on the docks when I… ![“I was unloading sides of beef down on the docks when I decided enough was enough. By then, I'd done a lot of reading on my own, so I persuaded New York University to enroll me.” quote by Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png) > “I was unloading sides of beef down on the docks when I decided enough was enough. By then, I'd done a lot of reading on my own, so I persuaded New York University to enroll me.” [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Determination drives him to seek education despite hardships, highlighting self‑advocacy. **In simple terms:** He pursued education despite challenges. Key Takeaway Advocate for yourself to access opportunities. Themes determination self‑advocacy education resilience Mood reflective motivational Type memoir inspirational When to use this quote - working class - higher education - career change Key Concepts Social mobility adult learning Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to overcome barriers? - How does self‑advocacy change outcomes? A Different Perspective Barriers can be systemic, not just personal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decided Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided-lot-5002714/) [Docks Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/docks-decided-5002713/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Persuaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuaded/) [Persuaded New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuaded-new-3867897/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Persuaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-persuaded-5002712/) ## Related quotes > [“men are often persuaded to new vices when properly motivated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-williams/men-are-often-persuaded-to-new-vices-when-properly-motivated/) [Gary Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-williams/) > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I do not say that I could never be persuaded to sacrifice my reputation to passion- only that it would take a great deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-morgan/i-do-not-say-that-i-could-never-be-persuaded-to-sacrifice-my/) [Jude Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-morgan/) > [I gradually became persuaded that the subjects, without intending to, had revealed to me a basic truth about markets that was foreign to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-l-smith/i-gradually-became-persuaded-that-the-subjects-without-intending-to/) [Vernon L. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-l-smith/) > [A people without a heritage are easily persuaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/a-people-without-a-heritage-are-easily-persuaded/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“Joan played den mother to the rebirth of American individualism. That she filled that role for so many is why I am grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/joan-played-den-mother-to-the-rebirth-of-american-individualism-that/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [I had a conversation with a biologist in an art gallery, and he persuaded me that it was possible to grow a dress from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-lee/i-had-a-conversation-with-a-biologist-in-an-art-gallery-and-he/) [Suzanne Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-lee/) > [“I am persuaded that the knots would have proved indigestible, whatever you may urge to the contrary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrix-potter/i-am-persuaded-that-the-knots-would-have-proved-indigestible-whatever/) [Beatrix Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrix-potter/) > [I think the beauty looks I most regret are those I was persuaded into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dita-von-teese/i-think-the-beauty-looks-i-most-regret-are-those-i-was-persuaded-into/) [Dita Von Teese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dita-von-teese/) > [I am persuaded that if the brutes even--if the dog, the horse, the ox, the elephant, the bird, could speak, they would confess, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-de-lamartine/i-am-persuaded-that-if-the-brutes-even-if-the-dog-the-horse-the-ox/) [Alphonse de Lamartine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-de-lamartine/) > [“I am not entirely persuaded that selling a book is like selling a pig.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-a-flynn/i-am-not-entirely-persuaded-that-selling-a-book-is-like-selling-a-pig/) [Kathleen A. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-a-flynn/) > [We have been basically persuaded that we should not talk about racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/we-have-been-basically-persuaded-that-we-should-not-talk-about-racism/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [I'm persuaded that if most people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would want change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-m-persuaded-that-if-most-people-saw-what-i-see-on-a-regular-basis/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I am persuaded, you will permit me to observe, that the path of true piety is so plain as to require but little political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-am-persuaded-you-will-permit-me-to-observe-that-the-path-of-true/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/people-are-generally-better-persuaded-by-the-reasons-which-they-have/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) ## More by Frank McCourt > [I'm not one of those James Joyce intellectuals who can stand back and look at the whole edifice... It was a slow process for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-m-not-one-of-those-james-joyce-intellectuals-who-can-stand-back-and/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I admire certain priests and nuns who go off on their own and do God's work on their own, who help in the ghettos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-admire-certain-priests-and-nuns-who-go-off-on-their-own-and-do-god/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-i-act-tough-they-listen-politely-till-the-spasm-passes-they-know/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Just luxuriate in a certain memory, and the details will come. It's like a magnet attracting steel filings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/just-luxuriate-in-a-certain-memory-and-the-details-will-come-it-s/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Sing your song. Dance your dance. Tell your tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/sing-your-song-dance-your-dance-tell-your-tale/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [They all went into the bar business. Which was a mistake, because they began to sip at the merchandise and it set them back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/they-all-went-into-the-bar-business-which-was-a-mistake-because-they/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [We never really had any kind of a Christmas. This is one part where my memory fails me completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/we-never-really-had-any-kind-of-a-christmas-this-is-one-part-where-my/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [A lot of people say writers start losing their powers after 60 or 65. But I look at the best-seller list and see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/a-lot-of-people-say-writers-start-losing-their-powers-after-60-or-65/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“When the dark clouds flutter like bats in my head I wish I could open a window and release them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-the-dark-clouds-flutter-like-bats-in-my-head-i-wish-i-could-open/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Shakespeare is like mashed potatoes, you can never get enough of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/shakespeare-is-like-mashed-potatoes-you-can-never-get-enough-of-him/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I just have to proceed as usual. No matter what happens, nothing helps with the writing of the next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-just-have-to-proceed-as-usual-no-matter-what-happens-nothing-helps/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Worse than the ordinary, miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/worse-than-the-ordinary-miserable-childhood-is-the-miserable-irish/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [It's not enough to be American. You always have to be something else, Irish-American, German-American, and you'd wonder how they'd get along if someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/it-s-not-enough-to-be-american-you-always-have-to-be-something-else/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I had to get rid of any idea of hell or any idea of the afterlife. That's what held me, kept me down. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-had-to-get-rid-of-any-idea-of-hell-or-any-idea-of-the-afterlife/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) [Explore all 159 Frank McCourt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) ## More Done quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) [Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was unloading sides of beef down on the docks when I decided enough was enough. By then, I'd done a lot of reading on my own, so I persuaded New York University to enroll me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank McCourt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-the-docks-when-i-decided-enough/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Done" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-the-docks-when-i-decided-enough/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/frank-mccourt-2576_done_i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-th_2228230.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was unloading sides of beef down on the docks when I decided enough was enough. By then, I'd done a lot of…” — Frank McCourt", "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": "Frank McCourt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was unloading sides of beef...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-the-docks-when-i-decided-enough/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-was-unloading-sides-of-beef-down-on-the-docks-when-i-decided-enough/#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 } } ] } ```