--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You were just doing your job,” she…" description: "\"“You were just doing your job,” she assured him. And then she thought just how powerful that sentiment was, how far down a nasty road that could take a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/hugh-howey-841_heart_you-were-just-doing-your-job-she-assured_2556997.png" --- # You were just doing your job,” she assured him. And then… ![“You were just doing your job,” she assured him. And then she thought just how powerful that sentiment was, how far down a nasty road that could take a person, shuffling along and simply doing their job.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/hugh-howey-841_heart_you-were-just-doing-your-job-she-assured_2556997.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/hugh-howey-841_heart_you-were-just-doing-your-job-she-assured_2556997.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/hugh-howey-841_heart_you-were-just-doing-your-job-she-assured_2556997.png) > ““You were just doing your job,” she assured him. And then she thought just how powerful that sentiment was, how far down a nasty road that could take a person, shuffling along and simply doing their job.”” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can be led down harmful paths by normalizing harmful behavior as just “doing their job.” **In simple terms:** Normalizing bad actions can be dangerous. Key Takeaway Question the impact of routine actions. Themes ethics power responsibility Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - personal relationships - policy making Key Concepts social influence moral hazard Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate duty from harm? - When does routine become complicit? A Different Perspective Assuming actions are harmless can ignore their consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing Your Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-your-job/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ## Related quotes > [“how powerful that sentiment was, how far down a nasty road that could take a person,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/how-powerful-that-sentiment-was-how-far-down-a-nasty-road-that-could/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Being a professional means doing your job on the days you don't want to do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/being-a-professional-means-doing-your-job-on-the-days-you-don-t-want/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [There is absolutely nothing that you can control except showing up and doing your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/there-is-absolutely-nothing-that-you-can-control-except-showing-up/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [If you're making $10 an hour and you're doing your job and you're doing it well and your check is consistently $8.75 an hour,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/if-you-re-making-10-an-hour-and-you-re-doing-your-job-and-you-re/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You change things by focusing your energy on doing your job well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisling-bea/you-change-things-by-focusing-your-energy-on-doing-your-job-well/) [Aisling Bea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisling-bea/) > [ If you're doing your job right, some substantial group of people \[is\] going to be mad at you. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/if-you-re-doing-your-job-right-some-substantial-group-of-people-is/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [Don't expect a pat on the back for merely doing your job, but know that you'll get one for doing it exceptionally well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-salonga/don-t-expect-a-pat-on-the-back-for-merely-doing-your-job-but-know/) [Lea Salonga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-salonga/) > [To be seen to be human, provided you're doing your job at the same time, is definitely not a negative, not at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/to-be-seen-to-be-human-provided-you-re-doing-your-job-at-the-same/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [I think if you're not scared, you're not doing your job right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-lago/i-think-if-you-re-not-scared-you-re-not-doing-your-job-right/) [Scotty Lago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-lago/) > [When someone says 'Action,' you just get on with it and hope that that is translated onto the screen for other people to see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/when-someone-says-action-you-just-get-on-with-it-and-hope-that-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [If you're not getting in trouble, you're not doing your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/if-you-re-not-getting-in-trouble-you-re-not-doing-your-job/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [I don't think anything is a block as long as you are doing your job well. That counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikitin-dheer/i-don-t-think-anything-is-a-block-as-long-as-you-are-doing-your-job/) [Nikitin Dheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikitin-dheer/) > [If you don't have fun doing the things you love, doing your job, you shouldn't be doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-young/if-you-don-t-have-fun-doing-the-things-you-love-doing-your-job-you/) [Nick Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-young/) > [Sometimes, when the material is really good, you put expectations on yourself to make it the best possible show. You're not just serving up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/sometimes-when-the-material-is-really-good-you-put-expectations-on/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Are you doing work worth doing, or are you just doing your job?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/are-you-doing-work-worth-doing-or-are-you-just-doing-your-job/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## More Heart quotes > [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/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) Rena Kornreich Gelissen > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You were just doing your job,” she assured him. 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