---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I told you to sell it, not give it away."
description: "\"I told you to sell it, not give it away.\" — Jerome Robbins"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/jerome-robbins-57050_away_i-told-you-to-sell-it-not-give-it-away-4_435660.jpg"
---

#  I told you to sell it, not give it away.

![“I told you to sell it, not give it away.” quote by Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/jerome-robbins-57050_away_i-told-you-to-sell-it-not-give-it-away-4_435660.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/jerome-robbins-57050_away_i-told-you-to-sell-it-not-give-it-away-4_435660.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/jerome-robbins-57050_away_i-told-you-to-sell-it-not-give-it-away-4_435660.jpg)

> “I told you to sell it, not give it away.”

[Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

## About This Quote

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

A warning against giving away something valuable without compensation.

**In simple terms:** Don't give away what you should sell.

Key Takeaway

Protect your assets.

Themes

value exchange trust warning control

Mood

cautious protective

Type

advice warning

When to use this quote

- business deals
- personal relationships
- selling items
- charitable donations

Key Concepts

economics negotiation ownership

Questions to Reflect On

- Are you holding onto something too tightly?
- When is generosity appropriate?

A Different Perspective

May overlook generosity; rigidness can hinder goodwill.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Sell Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell-away-1833253/) [Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told/) [Told Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-sell-1303532/)

## Related quotes

> [I remember a time when a cabbage could sell itself by being a cabbage. Nowadays it’s no good being a cabbage – unless you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giraudoux/i-remember-a-time-when-a-cabbage-could-sell-itself-by-being-a-cabbage/)

[Jean Giraudoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giraudoux/)

> [When my mother told me they have to sell me, I couldn't breathe; I couldn't speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonita-alizadeh/when-my-mother-told-me-they-have-to-sell-me-i-couldn-t-breathe-i/)

[Sonita Alizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonita-alizadeh/)

> [Once I started looking for a record deal, I had a trainer. And the trainer told me that I would never sell a record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/once-i-started-looking-for-a-record-deal-i-had-a-trainer-and-the/)

[Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/)

> [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/)

[Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/)

> [Since I was a child, I always loved music that made me want to dance. As a teenager, I used to dance the night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-ali/since-i-was-a-child-i-always-loved-music-that-made-me-want-to-dance/)

[Nadia Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-ali/)

> [Everything is designed to help you sell out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/everything-is-designed-to-help-you-sell-out/)

[Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/)

> [Rich widows are the only second-hand goods that sell at prime cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/rich-widows-are-the-only-second-hand-goods-that-sell-at-prime-cost/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [I don't want to sell to street art collectors, I want to sell to art collectors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-don-t-want-to-sell-to-street-art-collectors-i-want-to-sell-to-art/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [People will sell you out for profit, that's just how people are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koena-mitra/people-will-sell-you-out-for-profit-that-s-just-how-people-are/)

[Koena Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koena-mitra/)

> [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/)

[Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/)

> [I love to sell records, but that's not what I'm into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-ervin-beam/i-love-to-sell-records-but-that-s-not-what-i-m-into/)

[Samuel Ervin Beam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-ervin-beam/)

> [My lesson would be to not sell yourself to anybody else and stay true to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-portnoy/my-lesson-would-be-to-not-sell-yourself-to-anybody-else-and-stay-true/)

[Mike Portnoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-portnoy/)

> [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

## More by Jerome Robbins

> [There's no secret to working with kids. They either charm you and you can work with them, or they don't charm you and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-robbins/there-s-no-secret-to-working-with-kids-they-either-charm-you-and-you/)

[Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

> [Give me something to dance about and I'll dance it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-robbins/give-me-something-to-dance-about-and-i-ll-dance-it/)

[Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

> [Dance is like life. It exists as you are flitting through it, and when it's over, it's done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-robbins/dance-is-like-life-it-exists-as-you-are-flitting-through-it-and-when/)

[Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

> [Dance is low on the totem pole of the arts, because you're not left with a painting... a book that will stay there, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-robbins/dance-is-low-on-the-totem-pole-of-the-arts-because-you-re-not-left/)

[Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

> [We were all novices. We really were. We didn't know a goddamn thing about doing a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-robbins/we-were-all-novices-we-really-were-we-didn-t-know-a-goddamn-thing/)

[Jerome Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

[Explore all 6 Jerome Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-robbins/)

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> [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/)

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> [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/)

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> [Beauty fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-fades-away/)

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> [You can't kind of take away, you either do or you don't. If you kind of take away something you're a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/you-can-t-kind-of-take-away-you-either-do-or-you-don-t-if-you-kind-of/)

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[Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/)

> [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/)

[Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/)

> [“Please don't go away. You--you matter. To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/)

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[Browse all 4,933 Away quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/)

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