--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first time you blow someone away is…" description: "\"The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.\" — James Mattis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png" --- # The first time you blow someone away is not an… ![“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png) > “The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.” [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single impactful action can have lasting significance, not to be dismissed as trivial. **In simple terms:** One act can change everything. Key Takeaway Act decisively. Themes leadership impact decisiveness military Mood inspirational determined Type military leadership When to use this quote - combat decisions - policy making - personal milestones Key Concepts strategy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What “blow away” moment defined you? - How do you measure significance? A Different Perspective Impact may be unpredictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Mad dogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-dogs/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some \*\*\*\*\*\*\*s in the world that just need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [“However apparently insignificant the event, whether it be the ring of tobacco ash surrounding the table, the direction from which the wild geese first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-szl-krasznahorkai/however-apparently-insignificant-the-event-whether-it-be-the-ring-of/) [László Krasznahorkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-szl-krasznahorkai/) > [“Few commanders in this war could function without arriving at a sensibility in which thousands of dead and wounded men could be waved away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/few-commanders-in-this-war-could-function-without-arriving-at-a/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [Two women? God, man. Well, I'm still living. So clearly I must've gotten away with it, when I did do it. But I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gallagher/two-women-god-man-well-i-m-still-living-so-clearly-i-must-ve-gotten/) [Peter Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gallagher/) > [“The smallest, most seemingly insignificant event is part of an intricate whole and to understand why one particular mote of dust falls in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-smallest-most-seemingly-insignificant-event-is-part-of-an/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/there-are-hunters-and-there-are-victims-by-your-discipline-you-will/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/you-cannot-allow-any-of-your-people-to-avoid-the-brutal-facts-if-they/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/you-are-part-of-the-world-s-most-feared-and-trusted-force-engage-your/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [I'm gonna spend it all why wait for another day, I'ma take all this money I own and blow it all away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/i-m-gonna-spend-it-all-why-wait-for-another-day-i-ma-take-all-this/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [I saw you walking with your other man today. 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Boone Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-boone-pickens/) > [Rain slips through your fingers as easily as words blow away in the wind, and yet it has the power to destroy your whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/rain-slips-through-your-fingers-as-easily-as-words-blow-away-in-the/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) > [I think what's great about that relationship between an actor and a Director is you have to really blow away all your thing, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/i-think-what-s-great-about-that-relationship-between-an-actor-and-a/) [Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/) > [“—And you completely blow me away and rip my world up and everything else, and then you go back to ignoring me.” “I blew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/and-you-completely-blow-me-away-and-rip-my-world-up-and-everything/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) ## More by James Mattis > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some \*\*\*\*\*\*\*s in the world that just need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [With respect to the outlines of what's in the Army Field Manual, there's no doubt in my mind about the limitations it places not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/with-respect-to-the-outlines-of-what-s-in-the-army-field-manual-there/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We can kill lots of people. We do kill lots of people. 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A fine wind is blowing the new direction of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/not-i-not-i-but-the-wind-that-blows-through-me-a-fine-wind-is-blowing/) [D. H. 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Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) Browse all 2,324 Blow quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Mattis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blow" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/james-mattis-9515_blow_the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is_3059653.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.” — James Mattis", "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": "James Mattis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first time you blow someone...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/the-first-time-you-blow-someone-away-is-not-an-insignificant-event-2/#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 } } ] } ```