--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a matter of principle, I never attend…" description: "\"As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything.\" — George Carlin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg" --- # As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual… ![“As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything.” quote by George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg) > “As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything.” [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He humorously avoids being the first to attend any event, implying skepticism. **In simple terms:** He jokes about never attending inaugural events. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about “firsts.” Themes skepticism humor social commentary firsts Mood witty skeptical Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - event planning - cultural trends - personal habits Key Concepts social critique comedy Questions to Reflect On - Why avoid being first? - What are the pros of early involvement? A Different Perspective May overlook benefits of early participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Annual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annual/) [Annuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annuals/) [Attend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attend/) [Attend Annual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attend-annual-4588254/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle/) [Principle Attend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-attend-4588255/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) ## Related quotes > [For decades, activist shareholders were an entertaining, but largely ignored, Wall Street sideshow. Disgruntled investors would attend annual meetings to harangue executives, criticize strategies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/for-decades-activist-shareholders-were-an-entertaining-but-largely/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Annual giving is the custom of making a gift-a-year to an institution in which one has faith...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/annual-giving-is-the-custom-of-making-a-gift-a-year-to-an-institution/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [ \[The Surf Lodge performance\] is sort of like an annual thing. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donavon-frankenreiter/the-surf-lodge-performance-is-sort-of-like-an-annual-thing/) [Donavon Frankenreiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donavon-frankenreiter/) > [Happiness is a hardy annual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/happiness-is-a-hardy-annual/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [You do something annual every year, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-noory/you-do-something-annual-every-year-don-t-you/) [George Noory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-noory/) > [I am for making of terms annual, and for sending an entire new set every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-am-for-making-of-terms-annual-and-for-sending-an-entire-new-set/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The West begins where the average annual rainfall drops below twenty inches. Water is important to people who do not have it, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-west-begins-where-the-average-annual-rainfall-drops-below-twenty/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Many people think that buying a fake product is harmless, but counterfeiting is estimated to result in annual losses of over $20 billion dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/many-people-think-that-buying-a-fake-product-is-harmless-but/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [I am extremely devoted to Amazon Prime - which offers speedier free deliveries, free movie streaming and other benefits for an annual fee -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/i-am-extremely-devoted-to-amazon-prime-which-offers-speedier-free/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [All cultures are different. Some commit genocide. Some are uniquely peaceful. Some frequent bathhouses in groups. Some don't show each other the soles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/all-cultures-are-different-some-commit-genocide-some-are-uniquely/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [Serious drama in a significant degree began at Harvard in the 1880s. In 1881, the Cercle Francais initiated the annual French play, and shortly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-lukas/serious-drama-in-a-significant-degree-began-at-harvard-in-the-1880s/) [J. Anthony Lukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-lukas/) > [Cape Cod baseball dates back to the time of the Civil War. A poster at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown touts a round-trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-leavy/cape-cod-baseball-dates-back-to-the-time-of-the-civil-war-a-poster-at/) [Jane Leavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-leavy/) > [We've been paying for 100 percent of preventive care. But if you're not getting annual physicals, then you're not going to gain a financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-burd/we-ve-been-paying-for-100-percent-of-preventive-care-but-if-you-re/) [Steven Burd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-burd/) > [The whole purpose of annual reviews is to keep you abreast of whether or not you are fulfilling the requirements of tenure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/the-whole-purpose-of-annual-reviews-is-to-keep-you-abreast-of-whether/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) ## More by George Carlin > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [With the proper training, I could've been an evil genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/with-the-proper-training-i-could-ve-been-an-evil-genius/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Comedy, although it is not one of the fine arts - it's a vulgar art, it's one of the people's arts, it's the spoken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/comedy-although-it-is-not-one-of-the-fine-arts-it-s-a-vulgar-art-it-s/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. ... These two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-m-completely-in-favor-of-the-separation-of-church-and-state-these/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY. Not true. Today is another day. We have no idea what tomorrow is going to be. It might turn out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/tomorrow-is-another-day-not-true-today-is-another-day-we-have-no-idea/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I was a loner as a child. I had an imaginary friend - I didn't bother with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-a-loner-as-a-child-i-had-an-imaginary-friend-i-didn-t-bother/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/kilometers-are-shorter-than-miles-save-gas-take-your-next-trip-in/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“If you guys want to get a MOM tattoo and save a little money, just get two letters done. Get about a one-inch capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/if-you-guys-want-to-get-a-mom-tattoo-and-save-a-little-money-just-get/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-ve-built-up-so-much-speed-that-you-hit-70-after-that-it-s-a-day/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [It ended suddenly for Brenda, more slowly for me. My runs began getting shorter and less pleasurable. I'd feel bad after only one day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/it-ended-suddenly-for-brenda-more-slowly-for-me-my-runs-began-getting/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Is there another word for synonym?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/is-there-another-word-for-synonym/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The whole idea of the pursuit of goods and possessions has completely corrupted the human experience, along with religion, which I think limits the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-whole-idea-of-the-pursuit-of-goods-and-possessions-has-completely/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [These days many politicians are demanding change. Just like homeless people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/these-days-many-politicians-are-demanding-change-just-like-homeless/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [You know the good part about all those executions in Texas? Fewer Texans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-know-the-good-part-about-all-those-executions-in-texas-fewer/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [What was the best thing before sliced bread?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/what-was-the-best-thing-before-sliced-bread/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) [Explore all 1,098 George Carlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) ## More Annual quotes > [The whole purpose of annual reviews is to keep you abreast of whether or not you are fulfilling the requirements of tenure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/the-whole-purpose-of-annual-reviews-is-to-keep-you-abreast-of-whether/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [We've been paying for 100 percent of preventive care. But if you're not getting annual physicals, then you're not going to gain a financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-burd/we-ve-been-paying-for-100-percent-of-preventive-care-but-if-you-re/) [Steven Burd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-burd/) > [Cape Cod baseball dates back to the time of the Civil War. A poster at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown touts a round-trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-leavy/cape-cod-baseball-dates-back-to-the-time-of-the-civil-war-a-poster-at/) [Jane Leavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-leavy/) > [Serious drama in a significant degree began at Harvard in the 1880s. In 1881, the Cercle Francais initiated the annual French play, and shortly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-lukas/serious-drama-in-a-significant-degree-began-at-harvard-in-the-1880s/) [J. Anthony Lukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-lukas/) > [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [All cultures are different. Some commit genocide. Some are uniquely peaceful. Some frequent bathhouses in groups. Some don't show each other the soles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/all-cultures-are-different-some-commit-genocide-some-are-uniquely/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I am for making of terms annual, and for sending an entire new set every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-am-for-making-of-terms-annual-and-for-sending-an-entire-new-set/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [I am extremely devoted to Amazon Prime - which offers speedier free deliveries, free movie streaming and other benefits for an annual fee -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/i-am-extremely-devoted-to-amazon-prime-which-offers-speedier-free/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [Many people think that buying a fake product is harmless, but counterfeiting is estimated to result in annual losses of over $20 billion dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/many-people-think-that-buying-a-fake-product-is-harmless-but/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [The West begins where the average annual rainfall drops below twenty inches. Water is important to people who do not have it, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-west-begins-where-the-average-annual-rainfall-drops-below-twenty/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Lawmakers have good reason to want a healthy broadcast industry. Broadcast TV stations provide more than 186,000 jobs on an annual basis, which directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-smith/lawmakers-have-good-reason-to-want-a-healthy-broadcast-industry/) [Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-smith/) > [My interest in Women in Film came from attending the Crystal Awards in 1998 where Meryl Streep and producers Gale Anne Hurd and Lucy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/my-interest-in-women-in-film-came-from-attending-the-crystal-awards/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [The nation did not begin to realize the extraordinary possibilities of the vast Western territory until its attention was thus suddenly and definitely concentrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moody/the-nation-did-not-begin-to-realize-the-extraordinary-possibilities/) [John Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moody/) > [You do something annual every year, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-noory/you-do-something-annual-every-year-don-t-you/) [George Noory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-noory/) > [I saw my potential as artistic director, which is very different from designer. Fashion companies might have $200 million to $300 million in annual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-wu/i-saw-my-potential-as-artistic-director-which-is-very-different-from/) [Jason Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-wu/) [Browse all 45 Annual quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annual/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Carlin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend-the-first-annual-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Annual" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend-the-first-annual-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/george-carlin-155_annual_as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend_2973332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything.” — George Carlin", "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": "George Carlin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a matter of principle, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend-the-first-annual-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/as-a-matter-of-principle-i-never-attend-the-first-annual-anything/#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 } } ] } ```