---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do…"
description: "\"I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do whatever it takes just to work at 'New York Magazine.' My god! I'd do anything!\" — Jeannette Walls"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png"
---

#  I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do whatever it takes…

![“I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do whatever it takes just to work at 'New York Magazine.' My god! I'd do anything!” quote by Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png)

> “I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do whatever it takes just to work at 'New York Magazine.' My god! I'd do anything!”

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Extreme ambition drives willingness to do any job to enter a coveted field.

**In simple terms:** Desperation fuels extreme effort.

Key Takeaway

Channel drive into sustainable, realistic goals.

Themes

ambition career determination

Mood

motivational realistic

Type

inspirational cautionary

When to use this quote

- job hunting
- career change
- creative industries
- personal growth

Key Concepts

goal setting work ethic

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits will you set?
- How can you maintain health while pursuing goals?

A Different Perspective

Burnout can result from reckless hustle.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Garbage Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garbage-takes-4861672/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Just Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-work/) [Magazine God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazine-god-4263180/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-new/) [York Magazine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-magazine-241713/)

## Related quotes

> [My god pouts on the cover of the magazine, my god's a shallow little bitch trying to make the scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/my-god-pouts-on-the-cover-of-the-magazine-my-god-s-a-shallow-little/)

[Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/)

> [I love to just work with new people in general. It's always really fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-roberts/i-love-to-just-work-with-new-people-in-general-it-s-always-really-fun/)

[Emma Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-roberts/)

> [Clay Felker was then - he had - to his credit, he had created New York Magazine, which was the first of the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/clay-felker-was-then-he-had-to-his-credit-he-had-created-new-york/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [I'm obsessed with 'New York' magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-hyman/i-m-obsessed-with-new-york-magazine/)

[Jennifer Hyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-hyman/)

> [I was a club kid. I was on the cover of 'New York' magazine and discovered like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-ferlito/i-was-a-club-kid-i-was-on-the-cover-of-new-york-magazine-and/)

[Vanessa Ferlito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-ferlito/)

> [I was a writer for 'New York' magazine. I had been to business school, but what did I know? Still, everybody from the receptionists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-tobias/i-was-a-writer-for-new-york-magazine-i-had-been-to-business-school/)

[Andrew Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-tobias/)

> [I'm crazy about Diane Von Furstenberg. It's a relationship that's very different; I don't see Diane a lot. So when I saw the article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/i-m-crazy-about-diane-von-furstenberg-it-s-a-relationship-that-s-very/)

[Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/)

> [One of the things about having worked at certain places is that it becomes very hard after you stop working at them to continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolf/one-of-the-things-about-having-worked-at-certain-places-is-that-it/)

[Michael Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolf/)

> [I produced some very good work at 'New York' magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolf/i-produced-some-very-good-work-at-new-york-magazine/)

[Michael Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolf/)

> [ \[William Shawn\] took over The Voice and tried to turn it into New York Magazine - very glitzy covers that promised practically nothing in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/william-shawn-took-over-the-voice-and-tried-to-turn-it-into-new-york/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [The biggest stress for me at New York Magazine was when I was a middle-of-the-pack editor, and I had no control over my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-coles/the-biggest-stress-for-me-at-new-york-magazine-was-when-i-was-a/)

[Joanna Coles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-coles/)

> [After a series of jobs that I prefer not to recall, I was hired in the early eighties as fashion editor of 'New York'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/after-a-series-of-jobs-that-i-prefer-not-to-recall-i-was-hired-in-the/)

[Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/)

> [I like to work on New Year's Eve. It has a nice spirit; a nice feel about it. If you are all about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-poundstone/i-like-to-work-on-new-year-s-eve-it-has-a-nice-spirit-a-nice-feel/)

[Paula Poundstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-poundstone/)

> [With independent films, you again get to work with new directors and experiment too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupriya-goenka/with-independent-films-you-again-get-to-work-with-new-directors-and/)

[Anupriya Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupriya-goenka/)

> [Work can take on a new dimension if you know something about the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/work-can-take-on-a-new-dimension-if-you-know-something-about-the/)

[Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/)

## More by Jeannette Walls

> [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“You should never hate anyone, not even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You had to find the redeeming quality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-not-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [With a complicated childhood, you can either focus on the positive or the negative, and I chose to focus on the positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/with-a-complicated-childhood-you-can-either-focus-on-the-positive-or/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/she-never-felt-sorry-for-herself-and-that-was-something-i-decided-i/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“If you want to live in the farmland, haul your sorry hide off to Pennsylvania.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/if-you-want-to-live-in-the-farmland-haul-your-sorry-hide-off-to/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“I WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-sitting-in-a-taxi-wondering-if-i-had-overdressed-for-the/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [I had the big shoulders; I had the big hair. I loved the '80s. It was all about power women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-had-the-big-shoulders-i-had-the-big-hair-i-loved-the-80s-it-was-all/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [Things usually work out in the end." "What if they don't?" "That just means you haven't come to the end yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/things-usually-work-out-in-the-end-what-if-they-don-t-that-just-means/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“That was the way man was meant to live, he’d say, in harmony with the wild, like the Indians, not this lords-of-the-earth crap, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/that-was-the-way-man-was-meant-to-live-he-d-say-in-harmony-with-the/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/sometimes-you-need-a-little-crisis-to-get-your-adrenaline-flowing-and/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“Don’t be afraid of your dark places,” Mom told her. “If you can shine a light on them, you’ll find treasure there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-dark-places-mom-told-her-if-you-can-shine-a/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [I hate Erma," I told Mom... "You have to show compassion for her..." She added that you should never hate anyone, even your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-hate-erma-i-told-mom-you-have-to-show-compassion-for-her-she-added/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“Sad state to spend your life in. Being afraid of your own self." Rex Walls”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/sad-state-to-spend-your-life-in-being-afraid-of-your-own-self-rex/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [I was so worried that people wouldn't like me or my story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-so-worried-that-people-wouldn-t-like-me-or-my-story/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“the surest way to feel rich was to invest in quality nonessentials.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/the-surest-way-to-feel-rich-was-to-invest-in-quality-nonessentials/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

[Explore all 247 Jeannette Walls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

## More Anything quotes

> [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/)

[Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/)

> [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/)

[Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/)

> [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/)

[Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/)

> [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/)

[Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/)

> [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/)

[Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/)

> [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/)

[Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/)

> [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/)

[Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/)

> [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/)

[Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/)

> [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/)

[Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/)

> [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/)

[Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/)

> [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/)

[Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/)

> [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/)

[Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/)

> [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/)

[Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/)

> [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/)

[Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/)

> [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

[Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do whatever it takes just to work at 'New York Magazine.' My god! I'd do anything!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeannette Walls"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-whatever-it-takes-just-to-work/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anything"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-whatever-it-takes-just-to-work/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/jeannette-walls-1378_anything_i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-w_3016577.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was like, 'I'll take out garbage or do whatever it takes just to work at 'New York Magazine.' My god! I'd…” — Jeannette Walls",
                "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": "Jeannette Walls",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was like, 'I'll take out...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-whatever-it-takes-just-to-work/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-like-i-ll-take-out-garbage-or-do-whatever-it-takes-just-to-work/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
