--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try not to take people who haven't…" description: "\"I try not to take people who haven't really thought out what they're doing too seriously. I try not to let them get in the way of what I feel I need to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg" --- # I try not to take people who haven't really thought out… ![“I try not to take people who haven't really thought out what they're doing too seriously. I try not to let them get in the way of what I feel I need to do.” quote by Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg) > “I try not to take people who haven't really thought out what they're doing too seriously. I try not to let them get in the way of what I feel I need to do.” [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Avoid over‑investing emotionally in people who lack clear purpose, so they don’t hinder your own goals. **In simple terms:** Don’t let aimless people distract you. Key Takeaway Prioritize your mission over uncertain relationships. Themes focus boundaries purpose Mood cautious determined Type advice reflective When to use this quote - team projects - personal planning - creative work - leadership Key Concepts self‑care emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish between helpful guidance and distraction? - When is it worth supporting someone’s unclear path? A Different Perspective People may change; you might miss valuable collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [When I got pregnant quite a few people said to me, 'have you really thought about what you're doing?' I was 32 and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanni-grey-thompson/when-i-got-pregnant-quite-a-few-people-said-to-me-have-you-really/) [Tanni Grey-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanni-grey-thompson/) > [You should take your reputation very seriously and try to build a track record you can be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/you-should-take-your-reputation-very-seriously-and-try-to-build-a/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [I don't take myself too seriously, or I at least try not to, and I want to encourage other people to live that way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-alaina/i-don-t-take-myself-too-seriously-or-i-at-least-try-not-to-and-i-want/) [Lauren Alaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-alaina/) > [I don't take myself too seriously, I try to always encourage people when they come to see me that nothing is really serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-del-rio/i-don-t-take-myself-too-seriously-i-try-to-always-encourage-people/) [Bianca Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-del-rio/) > [I hopefully don't take myself seriously, but I take the work as seriously as I can and try to do the best I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-robbins/i-hopefully-don-t-take-myself-seriously-but-i-take-the-work-as/) [Miles Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-robbins/) > [I've never taken fashion too seriously. I try to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/i-ve-never-taken-fashion-too-seriously-i-try-to-enjoy-it/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [Acting is fun, and if you enjoy doing it, you should take it seriously and see what you can do. It's been a blast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colletti/acting-is-fun-and-if-you-enjoy-doing-it-you-should-take-it-seriously-2/) [Stephen Colletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colletti/) > [If you have fun doing something, you also take it seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-podolski/if-you-have-fun-doing-something-you-also-take-it-seriously/) [Lukas Podolski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-podolski/) > [Consistency in life is so important for success. It stems from taking what we are doing seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsem-tulku/consistency-in-life-is-so-important-for-success-it-stems-from-taking/) [Tsem Tulku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsem-tulku/) > [You have to have a work ethic, and you have to be educated in what you're doing. You have to take it seriously. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-dylan/you-have-to-have-a-work-ethic-and-you-have-to-be-educated-in-what-you/) [Jakob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-dylan/) > [I think of these things as obstacles rather than opportunities, because if they were opportunities it means I actually took the business of doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-redbone/i-think-of-these-things-as-obstacles-rather-than-opportunities/) [Leon Redbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-redbone/) > [When we start doing something seriously, others assume that we have already committed fully to the task. If we give it up just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-joseph-benziger/when-we-start-doing-something-seriously-others-assume-that-we-have/) [T Joseph Benziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-joseph-benziger/) > [Acting is fun, and if you enjoy doing it, you should take it seriously and see what you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colletti/acting-is-fun-and-if-you-enjoy-doing-it-you-should-take-it-seriously/) [Stephen Colletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colletti/) > [I had not thought that I was doing wrong; I had never taken so many things into consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-veronese/i-had-not-thought-that-i-was-doing-wrong-i-had-never-taken-so-many/) Paolo Veronese > [Everything I've ever thought about doing has been, in some sense, about helping people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinda-ardern/everything-i-ve-ever-thought-about-doing-has-been-in-some-sense-about/) [Jacinda Ardern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinda-ardern/) ## More by Gil Scott-Heron > [Oftentimes, the way it seems to be is that our artists in particular point themselves out as spokesmen for a certain constituency in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/oftentimes-the-way-it-seems-to-be-is-that-our-artists-in-particular/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I was one of the first three black students to go to an all-white school in Tennessee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-was-one-of-the-first-three-black-students-to-go-to-an-all-white/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [A good poet feels what his community feels. Like if you stub your toe, the rest of your body hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/a-good-poet-feels-what-his-community-feels-like-if-you-stub-your-toe/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I find it not just strange but almost ridiculous that people could take a song like the one I was doing and interpret it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-find-it-not-just-strange-but-almost-ridiculous-that-people-could/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [Womenfolk raised me and I was full-grown before I knew I came from a broken home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/womenfolk-raised-me-and-i-was-full-grown-before-i-knew-i-came-from-a/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [If you aren't having no fun, die, because you're running a worthless program, far as I'm concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/if-you-aren-t-having-no-fun-die-because-you-re-running-a-worthless/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I have a novel that I can write. It's about three soldiers from Somalia. Some babies have been disappearing up on 144th Street, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-have-a-novel-that-i-can-write-it-s-about-three-soldiers-from/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [ I work hard at it \[delivery of lyrics\], just like I worked hard at getting my masters degree. It's not just something I sit… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-work-hard-at-it-delivery-of-lyrics-just-like-i-worked-hard-at/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [Your life has to consist of more than 'Black people should unite.' You hope they do, but not twenty-four hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/your-life-has-to-consist-of-more-than-black-people-should-unite-you/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [You should be able to do anything you can afford as an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/you-should-be-able-to-do-anything-you-can-afford-as-an-adult/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [You know what has made me the happiest I've ever been? Seeing my son and daughter graduate from college. More than wanting them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/you-know-what-has-made-me-the-happiest-i-ve-ever-been-seeing-my-son/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I've always had questions about what it meant to be a protester, to be in the minority. Are the people who are trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-ve-always-had-questions-about-what-it-meant-to-be-a-protester-to-be/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I was a piano player before I was a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-was-a-piano-player-before-i-was-a-poet/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I cannot afford to watch Fox News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-cannot-afford-to-watch-fox-news/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I think a whole lot of stuff gets by people - I could name half a dozen groups that do songs that are openly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-think-a-whole-lot-of-stuff-gets-by-people-i-could-name-half-a-dozen/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) [Explore all 71 Gil Scott-Heron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) ## More Feels quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) Browse all 38,933 Feels quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try not to take people who haven't really thought out what they're doing too seriously. I try not to let them get in the way of what I feel I need to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gil Scott-Heron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-really-thought-out-what-they-re/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feels" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-really-thought-out-what-they-re/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/gil-scott-heron-9568_feels_i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-rea_1640292.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I try not to take people who haven't really thought out what they're doing too seriously. I try not to let…” — Gil Scott-Heron", "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": "Gil Scott-Heron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I try not to take people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-really-thought-out-what-they-re/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-try-not-to-take-people-who-haven-t-really-thought-out-what-they-re/#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 } } ] } ```