--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In that way the assistants are like…" description: "\"“In that way the assistants are like filters, determining what should get all the way to me. But the staff can’t just take the player’s side. Their job..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg" --- # In that way the assistants are like filters, determining… ![“In that way the assistants are like filters, determining what should get all the way to me. But the staff can’t just take the player’s side. Their job is to explain what I’m doing and why. It’s just like if you’re married. You don’t let the kids divide and conquer the mom and the dad. You listen…” quote by John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg) > ““In that way the assistants are like filters, determining what should get all the way to me. But the staff can’t just take the player’s side. Their job is to explain what I’m doing and why. It’s just like if you’re married. You don’t let the kids divide and conquer the mom and the dad. You listen, you try to fix what needs fixing, but you don’t throw your spouse under the bus.”” [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assistants filter information, but must stay neutral and supportive, avoiding bias toward any side. **In simple terms:** Assistants should explain and fix, not take sides. Key Takeaway Maintain neutrality while clarifying. Themes leadership communication teamwork Mood analytical pragmatic Type advice leadership When to use this quote - management meetings - coaching sessions - conflict resolution Key Concepts bias mediator clarity Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure fairness without paralysis? - When should you intervene directly? A Different Perspective Too much neutrality can hinder decisive action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assistants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assistants/) [Assistants Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assistants-like-4115433/) [Divide and conquer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divide-and-conquer/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Player Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player-job-556195/) [Staff Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staff-just-1917152/) [Way Staff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-staff-4622436/) ## Related quotes > [Assistants like Tim Grgurich worked with me and watched film of me from my Oregon State days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-payton/assistants-like-tim-grgurich-worked-with-me-and-watched-film-of-me/) [Gary Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-payton/) > [She is incredibly fit, but we remind staff that she's not just the monarch, but our mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-andrew/she-is-incredibly-fit-but-we-remind-staff-that-she-s-not-just-the/) [Prince Andrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-andrew/) > [As far as I'm concerned, I'm just a guitar player, and my job is to go out there and play and entertain and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-i-m-just-a-guitar-player-and-my-job-is-to-go/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [As a player, my job is to go out there and score runs, keep doing the things which are under my control, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayank-agarwal/as-a-player-my-job-is-to-go-out-there-and-score-runs-keep-doing-the/) [Mayank Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayank-agarwal/) > [My job is, as a player, to go out here and do my job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-lowry/my-job-is-as-a-player-to-go-out-here-and-do-my-job/) [Kyle Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-lowry/) > [There's a difference in a player that has a job and a player that doesn't have a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grady-little/there-s-a-difference-in-a-player-that-has-a-job-and-a-player-that/) [Grady Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grady-little/) > [I want to thank all the assistants and staff who have worked for us over the years, as well as the people in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/i-want-to-thank-all-the-assistants-and-staff-who-have-worked-for-us/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [Divide and conquer must become define and empower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/divide-and-conquer-must-become-define-and-empower/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“Julian recognized that the strength of the orthodox Church rested to a great extent on the imperial discrimination in its favour. According to Ammianus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/julian-recognized-that-the-strength-of-the-orthodox-church-rested-to/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [It's no coincidence that patriarchal structures look to divide and conquer strong female relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-d-arcy/it-s-no-coincidence-that-patriarchal-structures-look-to-divide-and/) [Emma D'Arcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-d-arcy/) > [“In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/in-our-world-divide-and-conquer-must-become-define-and-empower/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“It wasn’t just ‘divide and conquer,’” said Kazikhanov. “It was ‘divide, conquer, and tie up in trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-meier/it-wasn-t-just-divide-and-conquer-said-kazikhanov-it-was-divide/) [Andrew Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-meier/) > [Afro-Caribbean influences are in me as a creative being the same way Spanish influences were in Picasso's work. I think the notion of labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-fagan/afro-caribbean-influences-are-in-me-as-a-creative-being-the-same-way/) [Garth Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-fagan/) > [“So how you’re gonna play this?” Trenton asked. “Divide and conquer.” “Divide what?” “His head from the rest of his body.” Trenton nodded quickly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/so-how-you-re-gonna-play-this-trenton-asked-divide-and-conquer-divide/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [“It is not a secret that most American and Western institutions and workplaces are very much like mountains: the higher one climbs, the whiter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-yako/it-is-not-a-secret-that-most-american-and-western-institutions-and/) [Louis Yako](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-yako/) ## More by John Calipari > [The only thing I pay attention to with free throws is what a guy does in the final four minutes of a game. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/the-only-thing-i-pay-attention-to-with-free-throws-is-what-a-guy-does/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [If you have all seniors, then it probably doesn't mean much because those guys aren't going to be back. But if you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/if-you-have-all-seniors-then-it-probably-doesn-t-mean-much-because/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [“When it comes to how we make up our staff, I need positive people around me. People with a “we can do this” mentality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/when-it-comes-to-how-we-make-up-our-staff-i-need-positive-people/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [All the teams you have have different personalities, and you kind of want it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/all-the-teams-you-have-have-different-personalities-and-you-kind-of/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [Go ball. Go ball. I'll worry about the coaching. You just get out there and ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/go-ball-go-ball-i-ll-worry-about-the-coaching-you-just-get-out-there/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [“Their first coach was James Naismith, who invented the sport of basketball. (He is less known for being the only Kansas coach in history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/their-first-coach-was-james-naismith-who-invented-the-sport-of/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [I was small, but I was also slow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/i-was-small-but-i-was-also-slow/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [I'm not the grand poobah. I'm not the emperor. That's not what I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/i-m-not-the-grand-poobah-i-m-not-the-emperor-that-s-not-what-i-want/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [The best teams I've had had a little bit of a swagger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/the-best-teams-i-ve-had-had-a-little-bit-of-a-swagger/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [LeBron and I are friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/lebron-and-i-are-friends/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [It's not one guy. We played bad, I coached bad, it's everybody. We're all thrown in on this one. We all missed, all turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/it-s-not-one-guy-we-played-bad-i-coached-bad-it-s-everybody-we-re-all/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [Every one of us in this country is based on you've gotta take care of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/every-one-of-us-in-this-country-is-based-on-you-ve-gotta-take-care-of/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [I don't even have a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/i-don-t-even-have-a-computer/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [We don't get every kid. We get the ones we are supposed to get. It just kind of plays out that way, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/we-don-t-get-every-kid-we-get-the-ones-we-are-supposed-to-get-it-just/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [A successful person never loses...they either win or learn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/a-successful-person-never-loses-they-either-win-or-learn/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) [Explore all 181 John Calipari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) ## More Assistants quotes > [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/) [Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/) > [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/) [Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/) > [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [I know that you observe Christmas Day as you learned it at home. I do not observe it. However, as assistant director of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilo-globocnik/i-know-that-you-observe-christmas-day-as-you-learned-it-at-home-i-do/) [Odilo Globocnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilo-globocnik/) > [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [I was in Japan, and my assistant director had worked with Kurosawa. I used quite of number of Kurosawa's crew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/i-was-in-japan-and-my-assistant-director-had-worked-with-kurosawa-i/) [John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/) > [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/) [Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/) > [Think like a head coach, but act like an assistant coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-amaker/think-like-a-head-coach-but-act-like-an-assistant-coach/) [Tommy Amaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-amaker/) > [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/) [George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/) [Browse all 322 Assistants quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assistants/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In that way the assistants are like filters, determining what should get all the way to me. But the staff can’t just take the player’s side. Their job is to explain what I’m doing and why. It’s just like if you’re married. You don’t let the kids divide and conquer the mom and the dad. You listen, you try to fix what needs fixing, but you don’t throw your spouse under the bus.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Calipari" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filters-determining-what-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assistants" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filters-determining-what-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/john-calipari-2178_assistants_in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filt_1355393.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In that way the assistants are like filters, determining what should get all the way to me. But the staff…” — John Calipari", "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": "John Calipari", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In that way the assistants are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filters-determining-what-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/in-that-way-the-assistants-are-like-filters-determining-what-should/#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 } } ] } ```