--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've said it before and I say it again…" description: "\"“I've said it before and I say it again: \"A man's got to do what a brainless idiot's got to do.”\" — Henry Rollins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png" --- # I've said it before and I say it again: "A man's got to do… ![“I've said it before and I say it again: "A man's got to do what a brainless idiot's got to do.” quote by Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png) > ““I've said it before and I say it again: "A man's got to do what a brainless idiot's got to do.”” [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One must act decisively, even if the task seems foolish, because survival sometimes demands irrational actions. **In simple terms:** Do what’s necessary, even if it seems stupid. Key Takeaway Act despite fear of judgment. Themes survival action irrationality Mood defiant raw Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - emergency response - personal growth - creative risk‑taking Key Concepts existentialism agency Questions to Reflect On - When is reckless behavior justified? - How do you differentiate necessity from folly? A Different Perspective Blind action can lead to negative outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) ## Related quotes > [I don't mind being criticised, because I am not that easy to knock down, and no-one can destroy me. 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Brainless swept into the foyer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/echo-too-late-brainless-swept-into-the-foyer/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [Lord knows, I love a brainless pop song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/lord-knows-i-love-a-brainless-pop-song/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I think that the theory of evolution is the most unscientific, faith-based, fundamentally brainless idea that ever had the misfortune to come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-think-that-the-theory-of-evolution-is-the-most-unscientific-faith/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Culinary science? You elected culinary science? That's the most brainless class ever. -Rose to Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/culinary-science-you-elected-culinary-science-that-s-the-most/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I'm basically a writer of ideas, and the English aren't interested in ideas. The English, I'm afraid, are totally brainless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/i-m-basically-a-writer-of-ideas-and-the-english-aren-t-interested-in/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [“When you are gunning to be like other people, you are foolishly repeating their mistakes, and the worst of it all is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/when-you-are-gunning-to-be-like-other-people-you-are-foolishly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Some brainless comedy where actors with perfect white teeth spoke their lines then froze in place to let the laugh track unwind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/some-brainless-comedy-where-actors-with-perfect-white-teeth-spoke/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [My mantra: Brainless exercise is a lost opportunity for improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-merzenich/my-mantra-brainless-exercise-is-a-lost-opportunity-for-improvement/) [Michael Merzenich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-merzenich/) > [Sportswriters are a rude and brainless subculture of fascist drunks, a gang of vicious monkeys jerking off in a zoo cage... more disgusting by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/sportswriters-are-a-rude-and-brainless-subculture-of-fascist-drunks-a/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [It is not difficult to destroy Islam. Islam is the pumped up ego of a megalomaniac psychopath. Muhammad was a narcissist madman. Just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/it-is-not-difficult-to-destroy-islam-islam-is-the-pumped-up-ego-of-a/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [“It was as if God had decreed this characterless engagement of brainless forces as his answer to the human presumption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/it-was-as-if-god-had-decreed-this-characterless-engagement-of/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) ## More by Henry Rollins > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the summer of '84, you just couldn't escape the Born in the USA record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/in-the-summer-of-84-you-just-couldn-t-escape-the-born-in-the-usa/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Sleep is for squares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/sleep-is-for-squares/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. I grew up with violence. My introduction to music was violent. The years I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-raised-in-washington-dc-very-violent-place-i-grew-up-with/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel close to people like Jimi Hendrix because I connect with his music. Not the man but what he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-close-to-people-like-jimi-hendrix-because-i-connect-with-his/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Young, gay and stuck in Arkansas? Sounds like a horror flick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/young-gay-and-stuck-in-arkansas-sounds-like-a-horror-flick/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was never told to "Get up, get out there, get a job." It was never a thing either parent ever said I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-never-told-to-get-up-get-out-there-get-a-job-it-was-never-a/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's no retirement, there's just a few years of non-work by the fire with someone bringing you some tea and relative peace and playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-no-retirement-there-s-just-a-few-years-of-non-work-by-the/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I love being a storyteller. I love telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-love-being-a-storyteller-i-love-telling-stories/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) [Explore all 1,006 Henry Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More Brainless quotes > [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [“It was as if God had decreed this characterless engagement of brainless forces as his answer to the human presumption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/it-was-as-if-god-had-decreed-this-characterless-engagement-of/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [It is not difficult to destroy Islam. Islam is the pumped up ego of a megalomaniac psychopath. Muhammad was a narcissist madman. Just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/it-is-not-difficult-to-destroy-islam-islam-is-the-pumped-up-ego-of-a/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Sportswriters are a rude and brainless subculture of fascist drunks, a gang of vicious monkeys jerking off in a zoo cage... more disgusting by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/sportswriters-are-a-rude-and-brainless-subculture-of-fascist-drunks-a/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [My mantra: Brainless exercise is a lost opportunity for improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-merzenich/my-mantra-brainless-exercise-is-a-lost-opportunity-for-improvement/) [Michael Merzenich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-merzenich/) > [“Some brainless comedy where actors with perfect white teeth spoke their lines then froze in place to let the laugh track unwind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/some-brainless-comedy-where-actors-with-perfect-white-teeth-spoke/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“When you are gunning to be like other people, you are foolishly repeating their mistakes, and the worst of it all is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/when-you-are-gunning-to-be-like-other-people-you-are-foolishly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I'm basically a writer of ideas, and the English aren't interested in ideas. The English, I'm afraid, are totally brainless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/i-m-basically-a-writer-of-ideas-and-the-english-aren-t-interested-in/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [Culinary science? You elected culinary science? That's the most brainless class ever. -Rose to Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/culinary-science-you-elected-culinary-science-that-s-the-most/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I think that the theory of evolution is the most unscientific, faith-based, fundamentally brainless idea that ever had the misfortune to come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-think-that-the-theory-of-evolution-is-the-most-unscientific-faith/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [Lord knows, I love a brainless pop song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/lord-knows-i-love-a-brainless-pop-song/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [“Echo." Too late. Brainless swept into the foyer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/echo-too-late-brainless-swept-into-the-foyer/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [Girls in scripts are often pretty but brainless, or geeky and no one likes them, so it's great to find richer roles. Chalk and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brown-findlay/girls-in-scripts-are-often-pretty-but-brainless-or-geeky-and-no-one/) [Jessica Brown Findlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brown-findlay/) > [For a brief, weird minute I felt like Dorothy in Oz, walking down the street with Terric the doubtful, Shame the brainless, and heartless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/for-a-brief-weird-minute-i-felt-like-dorothy-in-oz-walking-down-the/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) > [Brainless writers gossip nonsense to others heads as dense as they is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/brainless-writers-gossip-nonsense-to-others-heads-as-dense-as-they-is/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) Browse all 47 Brainless quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've said it before and I say it again: \"A man's got to do what a brainless idiot's got to do.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Rollins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a-man-s-got-to-do-what-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brainless" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a-man-s-got-to-do-what-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/henry-rollins-170_brainless_i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a_563205.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've said it before and I say it again: \"A man's got to do what a brainless idiot's got to do.” — Henry Rollins", "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": "Henry Rollins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I've said it before and I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a-man-s-got-to-do-what-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-say-it-again-a-man-s-got-to-do-what-a/#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 } } ] } ```