--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You could write your fingers off for 25…" description: "\"You could write your fingers off for 25 years... and never get the kind of hearing you could get from shooting off your mouth on television for a half ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg" --- # You could write your fingers off for 25 years... and never… ![“You could write your fingers off for 25 years... and never get the kind of hearing you could get from shooting off your mouth on television for a half hour every week.” quote by Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg) > “You could write your fingers off for 25 years... and never get the kind of hearing you could get from shooting off your mouth on television for a half hour every week.” [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It contrasts the long, unseen effort of writing with the brief, public exposure of speaking on TV, implying fame can outweigh hard work. **In simple terms:** TV exposure can be more rewarding than years of writing. Key Takeaway Seek platforms that amplify your voice. Themes media recognition effort Mood critical motivational Type advice reflective When to use this quote - career advancement - public speaking - writing - marketing Key Concepts celebrity communication Questions to Reflect On - Is visibility more valuable than skill? - How can you balance effort with exposure? A Different Perspective Success may require visibility, not just diligence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [25 Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/25-years/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Fingers 25](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers-25-6026405/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing/) [Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hour/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth/) [Mouth Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth-television-6026406/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [Shooting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shooting/) [Shooting Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shooting-mouth-2853764/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Television Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-half-1612819/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [I think the challenge in hour television or half-hour television is that the more it's around, certainly on commercial television, the less time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/i-think-the-challenge-in-hour-television-or-half-hour-television-is/) [Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/) > [I don't start shooting off my mouth. I'm not like that. I'm a mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-don-t-start-shooting-off-my-mouth-i-m-not-like-that-i-m-a-mother/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [Any time I’m not shooting my mouth off to a clichéd, two-bit creature of the night like you, it’s because I’m up to something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/any-time-i-m-not-shooting-my-mouth-off-to-a-clich-d-two-bit-creature/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [You should hear all the people talking to me about Heath Ledger, and yet I'm the only person shooting his mouth off out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/you-should-hear-all-the-people-talking-to-me-about-heath-ledger-and/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-harding/if-somebody-had-said-to-me-back-in-1988-that-i-d-still-be-making/) [John Wesley Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-harding/) > [I've played every comedy club and every theatre across the country for the last 25 years and seen a lot of audience members from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lampanelli/i-ve-played-every-comedy-club-and-every-theatre-across-the-country/) [Lisa Lampanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lampanelli/) > [I designed a bench in a few moments. But, of course, it took me 25 years to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-bellini/i-designed-a-bench-in-a-few-moments-but-of-course-it-took-me-25-years/) [Mario Bellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-bellini/) > [I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was-fed-on-aid/) [Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/) > [Although I was only 25 years old, I had been at Chelsea for five years. So, I was there long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar/although-i-was-only-25-years-old-i-had-been-at-chelsea-for-five-years/) [Oscar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar/) > [With the film around for 25 years and the show being around even longer - still running and continuing to fill house all around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/with-the-film-around-for-25-years-and-the-show-being-around-even/) [Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/) > [We make a lot of fun at President Clinton's expense. But this transition is going to be tough because it's been 25 years since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/we-make-a-lot-of-fun-at-president-clinton-s-expense-but-this/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [I am 25 years old, but I think I gained a lot of experience with PSG, and I think I can help Tottenham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-moura/i-am-25-years-old-but-i-think-i-gained-a-lot-of-experience-with-psg/) [Lucas Moura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-moura/) > [If somebody told me people would still care about our music 25 years ago, I would have thought they were crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/if-somebody-told-me-people-would-still-care-about-our-music-25-years/) [Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/) > [I really want people to know that I've worked hard, very hard, to get to where I am today.. this didn't just happen overnight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/i-really-want-people-to-know-that-i-ve-worked-hard-very-hard-to-get/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [We're in a golden age for television. TV 25 years ago was slow, plodding , boring. The production values were not great. Today it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-dunbar/we-re-in-a-golden-age-for-television-tv-25-years-ago-was-slow/) [Adrian Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-dunbar/) ## More by Jack Germond > [Rather than fretting about IQ scores, voters should try to determine what candidates read - other than the Bible, which they all say they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/rather-than-fretting-about-iq-scores-voters-should-try-to-determine/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Every newspaper editor says the heart of the paper is the reporter - which is true - except for the pay!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/every-newspaper-editor-says-the-heart-of-the-paper-is-the-reporter/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Candidates should be extremely cautious in displaying a sense of humor. If he or she tells a joke with a point, there is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/candidates-should-be-extremely-cautious-in-displaying-a-sense-of/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Spend hundreds of millions; talk endlessly about issues; present 12-point plans for education, the economy, and the environment. But in the end, the election…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/spend-hundreds-of-millions-talk-endlessly-about-issues-present-12/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [The secret of doing well on TV is to understand that it's not too important. A lot of people watching doesn't change anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/the-secret-of-doing-well-on-tv-is-to-understand-that-it-s-not-too/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Most of the good people of my generation... had offers to become editors, but the thought of going inside was just absolutely horrifying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/most-of-the-good-people-of-my-generation-had-offers-to-become-editors/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [For those of us who spent our careers competing with David Broder, the hardest thing to abide was the inevitable comparison. If someone said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/for-those-of-us-who-spent-our-careers-competing-with-david-broder-the/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Attack politics costs us dearly in terms of insight into the candidates. In a presidential campaign, the focus is so tight that the politicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/attack-politics-costs-us-dearly-in-terms-of-insight-into-the/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [I really found this campaign odious. I couldn't get up for it. The quality of the candidates and the campaign, I just found the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/i-really-found-this-campaign-odious-i-couldn-t-get-up-for-it-the/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Everyone I know thinks television is the most important part of my life. I did it for the money! I was able to send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/everyone-i-know-thinks-television-is-the-most-important-part-of-my/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [I have been an atheist my entire adult life. I do not proselytize, however. Nor do I question the faith of others. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/i-have-been-an-atheist-my-entire-adult-life-i-do-not-proselytize/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [I have always argued that newspapers should not have any civic purpose beyond telling readers what is happening... A reporter who doesn't quickly tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/i-have-always-argued-that-newspapers-should-not-have-any-civic/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [American voters have to pay closer attention to politics if they want to avoid four years of whining about the outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/american-voters-have-to-pay-closer-attention-to-politics-if-they-want/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [Mo Udall didn't want the presidency bad enough. He was too sane. He was a marvelous guy, but you had the feeling there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/mo-udall-didn-t-want-the-presidency-bad-enough-he-was-too-sane-he-was/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [My liberal friends are such a bunch soft-headed, politically correct jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/my-liberal-friends-are-such-a-bunch-soft-headed-politically-correct/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) [Explore all 22 Jack Germond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) ## More Could quotes > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) > [I don't think Joe Louis could take the punches today fighting in this era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-don-t-think-joe-louis-could-take-the-punches-today-fighting-in-this/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [What a gift it would be if every child in the country could hear a professional orchestra at least once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/what-a-gift-it-would-be-if-every-child-in-the-country-could-hear-a/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [If my wisdom could get support from officials, I think society would move forward 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-guangbiao/if-my-wisdom-could-get-support-from-officials-i-think-society-would/) [Chen Guangbiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-guangbiao/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [One of the mistakes I made was thinking chickens and penguins could sing, just like all the other animals in the 'Muppets.' But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-mckenzie/one-of-the-mistakes-i-made-was-thinking-chickens-and-penguins-could/) [Bret McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-mckenzie/) > [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [I studied philosophy and ended on sociology. For some reason, all the advanced courses in philosophy were offered 4:30 to 6:30, so I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-jackson/i-studied-philosophy-and-ended-on-sociology-for-some-reason-all-the/) [Lawrence Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-jackson/) [Browse all 8,032 Could quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You could write your fingers off for 25 years... and never get the kind of hearing you could get from shooting off your mouth on television for a half hour every week.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Germond" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25-years-and-never-get-the-kind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Could" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25-years-and-never-get-the-kind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/jack-germond-25918_could_you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25_782445.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You could write your fingers off for 25 years... and never get the kind of hearing you could get from…” — Jack Germond", "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": "Jack Germond", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You could write your fingers off...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25-years-and-never-get-the-kind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/you-could-write-your-fingers-off-for-25-years-and-never-get-the-kind/#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 } } ] } ```