---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you’ve worked hard and done well and…"
description: "\"When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.\" — Guy Kawasaki"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png"
---

#  When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through…

![“When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.” quote by Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png)

> “When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.”

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

## About This Quote

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

Hard work opens doors, but you must keep them open for others and not close opportunities after benefiting.

**In simple terms:** Success should be shared, not hoarded.

Key Takeaway

Share opportunities, stay humble.

Themes

generosity opportunity humility

Mood

inspirational reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- team leadership
- networking
- community building

Key Concepts

reciprocity legacy mentorship

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you keep doors open for others?
- What habits prevent you from sharing success?

A Different Perspective

May become self‑serving if not mindful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Behind you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behind-you/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door/) [Doorway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorway/) [Doorway Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorway-opportunity-3963755/) [Doorways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorways/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Opportunity Slam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity-slam-3963757/) [Slam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slam/) [Walked Doorway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walked-doorway-3963756/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Worked Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked-hard/)

## Related quotes

> [When youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/when-youve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and-walked-through-that-doorway/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [Most people haven't figured out when you are of service to other people outside of just yourself, the doorway for opportunity and blessings come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/most-people-haven-t-figured-out-when-you-are-of-service-to-other/)

[Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/)

> [Success is a staircase. Not a doorway. So if you keep striving, one day you might find your earned doorway of opportunity to prosper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-seaport/success-is-a-staircase-not-a-doorway-so-if-you-keep-striving-one-day/)

[Pauline Seaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-seaport/)

> [It's not a competition, it's a doorway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/it-s-not-a-competition-it-s-a-doorway/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [ \[After she and Clare Boothe Luce met in a doorway and the latter said, 'Age before beauty':\] Pearls before swine. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/after-she-and-clare-boothe-luce-met-in-a-doorway-and-the-latter-said/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [Often the doorway to success is entered through the hallway of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/often-the-doorway-to-success-is-entered-through-the-hallway-of-failure/)

[Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/)

> [Death is a doorway. It is a very small, thin doorway and only a portion of our being can walk through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/death-is-a-doorway-it-is-a-very-small-thin-doorway-and-only-a-portion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Death is a doorway, Niko, that leads to an adventure greater than any you have ever known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/death-is-a-doorway-niko-that-leads-to-an-adventure-greater-than-any/)

[Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/)

> [To find one's way anywhere one has to find one's door, just like Alice, you see. You take too much of one thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-rego/to-find-one-s-way-anywhere-one-has-to-find-one-s-door-just-like-alice/)

[Paula Rego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-rego/)

> [Faith, the least exclusive club on Earth, has the craftiest doorman. Every time I've stepped through its wide-open doorway, I find myself stepping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/faith-the-least-exclusive-club-on-earth-has-the-craftiest-doorman/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [At the time of death we walk through a doorway and our spirit, which is very thin, slides through into another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/at-the-time-of-death-we-walk-through-a-doorway-and-our-spirit-which/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Success is not a doorway, it's a stairway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dottie-walters/success-is-not-a-doorway-it-s-a-stairway/)

[Dottie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dottie-walters/)

> [Imagination is the doorway you walk through into every future moment. Are you walking through doorways to pain or to joy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagination-is-the-doorway-you-walk-through-into-every-future-moment/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [She was standing in the airport of Copenhagen, staring at a doorway, trying to figure out if it was (a) a bathroom and (b)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/she-was-standing-in-the-airport-of-copenhagen-staring-at-a-doorway/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

## More by Guy Kawasaki

> [Don't worry, be crappy. Revolutionary means you ship and then test... Lots of things made the first Mac in 1984 a piece of crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/don-t-worry-be-crappy-revolutionary-means-you-ship-and-then-test-lots/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [In giving presentations, use the 10/20/30 rule…use only 10 slides, take 20 minutes maximum, and use at least 30-point fonts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/in-giving-presentations-use-the-10-20-30-rule-use-only-10-slides-take/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [What I lack in talent, I compensate with my willingness to grind it out. That's the secret of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/what-i-lack-in-talent-i-compensate-with-my-willingness-to-grind-it/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-mark-of-a-good-conversationalist-is-not-that-you-can-talk-a-lot/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [At the end of my life, I want to say that I made the world a better place because I raised good children, loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/at-the-end-of-my-life-i-want-to-say-that-i-made-the-world-a-better/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [The higher you go in a company, the less oxygen there is, so supporting intelligent life becomes difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-higher-you-go-in-a-company-the-less-oxygen-there-is-so-supporting/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [The record of what you do is forever recoverable because of Google. The lofty upside and scary downside makes reciprocity more important than ever.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-record-of-what-you-do-is-forever-recoverable-because-of-google/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [I think that no one, or very few, are born as good presenters. It's a skill that you learn. The key is the 10/20/30…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-think-that-no-one-or-very-few-are-born-as-good-presenters-it-s-a/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [Pursuing your passions makes you more interesting, and interesting people are enchanting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/pursuing-your-passions-makes-you-more-interesting-and-interesting/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [Entitlement is the opposite of enchantment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/entitlement-is-the-opposite-of-enchantment/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [Revolutionary leaders have to care more about what they think of themselves than what the world thinks of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/revolutionary-leaders-have-to-care-more-about-what-they-think-of/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [If you have more money than brains, you should focus on outbound marketing, If you have more brains than money, you should focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/if-you-have-more-money-than-brains-you-should-focus-on-outbound/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [Most venture capitalists won't read a business plan unless the entrepreneur is introduced to them by a contact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/most-venture-capitalists-won-t-read-a-business-plan-unless-the/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> ["(Big name research firm) says our market will be $50 billion in 2010." Every entrepreneur has a few slides about how the market potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/big-name-research-firm-says-our-market-will-be-50-billion-in-2010/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

> [Go APE: Author a great book, Publish it quickly, and Entrepreneur your way to success. Self-publishing isn’t easy, but it’s fun and sometimes even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/go-ape-author-a-great-book-publish-it-quickly-and-entrepreneur-your/)

[Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

[Explore all 259 Guy Kawasaki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/)

## More Behind you quotes

> [Strong families use the word "we" a lot, but "I" is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/strong-families-use-the-word-we-a-lot-but-i-is-never-forgotten-family/)

[Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/)

> [For God is wholly present in all creation, in every corner, he is behind you and before you. Do you think he is sleeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/for-god-is-wholly-present-in-all-creation-in-every-corner-he-is/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [The worst thing that can happen is that the effect that they create behind you is bigger than the performance you're putting out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-is-that-the-effect-that-they-create/)

[Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/)

> [I would rather speak the truth to ten men than blandishments and lying to a million. Try it, ye who think there is nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-would-rather-speak-the-truth-to-ten-men-than-blandishments-and/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [Leave your yawns behind you and feel the tiny new breeze of life lighting up inside of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-porchon-lynch/leave-your-yawns-behind-you-and-feel-the-tiny-new-breeze-of-life/)

[Tao Porchon-Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-porchon-lynch/)

> [Be sure that Christ is not behind you, but before, calling and drawing you on. This is the liberty, the beautiful liberty of Christ.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-bushnell/be-sure-that-christ-is-not-behind-you-but-before-calling-and-drawing/)

[Horace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-bushnell/)

> [When you become angry, you enter a tunnel, leaving the light behind you; when you get calm, you exit the tunnel, finding the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-become-angry-you-enter-a-tunnel-leaving-the-light-behind-you/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I wish you were that birch rising from the clump behind you, and I the gray oak alongside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/i-wish-you-were-that-birch-rising-from-the-clump-behind-you-and-i-the/)

[Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/)

> [What has happened has happened and it is now behind you. Take the best of it all as you move positively forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/what-has-happened-has-happened-and-it-is-now-behind-you-take-the-best/)

[Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/)

> [A cultivated style would be like a mask. Everybody knows it's a mask, and sooner or later you must show yourself -- or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/a-cultivated-style-would-be-like-a-mask-everybody-knows-it-s-a-mask/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [I understand the opposite side of the camera. I have a profound respect for that. I have worked with people who, when you hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-understand-the-opposite-side-of-the-camera-i-have-a-profound/)

[Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/)

> [Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to the animals, for they are without sin, while you, with all your greatness, you defile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-do-not-pride-yourself-on-your-superiority-to-the-animals-for-they/)

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

> [The thing about 50 is that you've clearly reached a point where you have more of your life behind you than ahead of you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/the-thing-about-50-is-that-you-ve-clearly-reached-a-point-where-you/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Inwardly you are God, outwardly you are a person. Instead of thinking you are just a person, that appearance, you can awake to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-harding/inwardly-you-are-god-outwardly-you-are-a-person-instead-of-thinking/)

[Douglas Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-harding/)

> [After all the planets and all the hosts you've left behind, you've finally found the place and the body you'd die for. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/after-all-the-planets-and-all-the-hosts-you-ve-left-behind-you-ve/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

[Browse all 320 Behind you quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behind-you/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Guy Kawasaki"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and-walked-through-that-doorway/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Behind you"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and-walked-through-that-doorway/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/guy-kawasaki-1292_behind-you_when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-an_455093.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it…” — Guy Kawasaki",
                "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": "Guy Kawasaki",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you’ve worked hard and done...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and-walked-through-that-doorway/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and-walked-through-that-doorway/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
