--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A professional is a man who can do his…" description: "\"A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do his job when he does feel like it.\" — James A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/james-agate-25524_amateur_a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-j_8785.png" --- # A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't… ![“A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do his job when he does feel like it.” quote by James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/james-agate-25524_amateur_a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-j_8785.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/james-agate-25524_amateur_a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-j_8785.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/james-agate-25524_amateur_a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-j_8785.png) > “A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do his job when he does feel like it.” [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Professionalism is defined by reliability and discipline, not by fleeting motivation; true skill persists despite lack of enthusiasm. **In simple terms:** Reliability over mood Key Takeaway Discipline beats desire Themes discipline reliability motivation professionalism mindset Mood determined steady pragmatic Type maxim advice When to use this quote - meeting deadlines under fatigue - performing routine tasks when uninspired - maintaining standards during low energy periods Key Concepts commitment work ethic consistency Practical Applications - coaching for resilience - designing performance metrics that reward consistency Questions to Reflect On - How do you cultivate discipline when motivation wanes? - What habits help sustain performance regardless of mood? A Different Perspective An amateur may excel when inspired, but lack of discipline can limit long‑term achievement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it; an amateur is one who can't when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like-2/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [There should be a dash of the amateur in criticism. For the amateur is a man of enthusiasm who has not settled down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-atkinson/there-should-be-a-dash-of-the-amateur-in-criticism-for-the-amateur-is/) [Brooks Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-atkinson/) > [“In other words, I continue to think like an amateur as frequently as possible. GOING IT ALONE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/in-other-words-i-continue-to-think-like-an-amateur-as-frequently-as/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [As compared with the college politician, the real article seems like an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/as-compared-with-the-college-politician-the-real-article-seems-like/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Love doesn't drop on you unexpectedly; you have to give off signals, sort of like an amateur radio operator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-gurley-brown/love-doesn-t-drop-on-you-unexpectedly-you-have-to-give-off-signals/) [Helen Gurley Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-gurley-brown/) > [I like amateur things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-coppola/i-like-amateur-things/) [Sofia Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-coppola/) > [I remember what a loss in 2006 felt like as an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-smith/i-remember-what-a-loss-in-2006-felt-like-as-an-amateur/) [Anthony Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-smith/) > [I really, really pride myself on being a professional and a man of keeping my word. It means a lot to me, truly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunnam/i-really-really-pride-myself-on-being-a-professional-and-a-man-of/) [Charlie Hunnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunnam/) > [“Having a job does not mean living”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/having-a-job-does-not-mean-living/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [YOUR DREAM JOB DOES NOT EXIST. YOU MUST CREATE ONE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/your-dream-job-does-not-exist-you-must-create-one/) [ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/) > [A young man fills out an application for a job and does well until he gets to the last question, "Who Should we notify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/a-young-man-fills-out-an-application-for-a-job-and-does-well-until-he/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [A vital difference between the professional man and a man of business is that money making to the professional man should, by virtue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/a-vital-difference-between-the-professional-man-and-a-man-of-business/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [I'm a very professional man. I'm not out for the experience of adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-m-a-very-professional-man-i-m-not-out-for-the-experience-of/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I will show emotion with my players and fans when we do well. I am a professional man, and that is what I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-gunnar-solskjaer/i-will-show-emotion-with-my-players-and-fans-when-we-do-well-i-am-a/) [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-gunnar-solskjaer/) > [He hasn't shown me anything but how he carries himself as a professional man, husband, father and athlete. Tom Brady is a pro's pro.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-moss/he-hasn-t-shown-me-anything-but-how-he-carries-himself-as-a/) [Randy Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-moss/) ## More by James Agate > [New Year's resolution: To refrain from saying witty, unkind things, unless they are really witty and irreparably damaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/new-year-s-resolution-to-refrain-from-saying-witty-unkind-things/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [This was an actress who, for twenty years, had the world at her feet. She kicked it away, and the ball rolled out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/this-was-an-actress-who-for-twenty-years-had-the-world-at-her-feet/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [I don't know very much but what I do know I know better than anybody, and I don't want to argue about it…My mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/i-don-t-know-very-much-but-what-i-do-know-i-know-better-than-anybody/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The English instinctively admire any man who has no talent and is modest about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/the-english-instinctively-admire-any-man-who-has-no-talent-and-is/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [In her early days she had that beatific expression characteristic of Victorian prettiness - like a sheep painted by Raphael.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/in-her-early-days-she-had-that-beatific-expression-characteristic-of/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [Shaw's plays are the price we pay for Shaw's prefaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/shaw-s-plays-are-the-price-we-pay-for-shaw-s-prefaces/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The maddest phenomenon in this wholly mad world – that the filming or wirelessing of an event, whether it is the Grand National or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/the-maddest-phenomenon-in-this-wholly-mad-world-that-the-filming-or/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [Long experience has taught me that in England nobody goes to the theatre unless he or she has bronchitis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/long-experience-has-taught-me-that-in-england-nobody-goes-to-the/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My mind is not a bed to be made and remade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/my-mind-is-not-a-bed-to-be-made-and-remade/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The worst of failure of this kind is that it spoils the market for more competent performers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/the-worst-of-failure-of-this-kind-is-that-it-spoils-the-market-for/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Englishman can get along with sex quite perfectly so long as he can pretend that it isn't sex but something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/the-englishman-can-get-along-with-sex-quite-perfectly-so-long-as-he/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [I... wonder what it is in the New York air that enables me to sit up till all hours of the night in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/i-wonder-what-it-is-in-the-new-york-air-that-enables-me-to-sit-up/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [New Years Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/new-years-resolution-to-tolerate-fools-more-gladly-provided-this-does/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/new-year-s-resolution-to-tolerate-fools-more-gladly-provided-this/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [Don't pity me now, don't pity me never; I'm going to do nothing for ever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/don-t-pity-me-now-don-t-pity-me-never-i-m-going-to-do-nothing-for/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) [Explore all 23 James Agate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) David Barringer > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [The amateur software engineer is always in search of magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grady-booch/the-amateur-software-engineer-is-always-in-search-of-magic/) [Grady Booch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grady-booch/) Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. 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