--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a working-class former apprentice…" description: "\"I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the age of 14, if you'd told me I would one day be standing on a stage with Mel Brooks, I'd have ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/john-gordon-sinclair-38230_age_i-m-a-working-class-former-apprentice-el_41148.jpg" --- # I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the… ![“I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the age of 14, if you'd told me I would one day be standing on a stage with Mel Brooks, I'd have thought you were off your head. But these things can happen.” quote by John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/john-gordon-sinclair-38230_age_i-m-a-working-class-former-apprentice-el_41148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/john-gordon-sinclair-38230_age_i-m-a-working-class-former-apprentice-el_41148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/john-gordon-sinclair-38230_age_i-m-a-working-class-former-apprentice-el_41148.jpg) > “I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the age of 14, if you'd told me I would one day be standing on a stage with Mel Brooks, I'd have thought you were off your head. But these things can happen.” [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected opportunities can arise from humble beginnings, showing that perseverance and chance can lead to remarkable achievements. **In simple terms:** From apprentice to stage with a legend. Key Takeaway Dreams can materialize unexpectedly. Themes perseverance unexpected success humble origins chance career transformation inspiration Mood hopeful astonished determined Type personal anecdote inspirational quote When to use this quote - career milestones - public speaking - meeting mentors - industry events - personal reflections Key Concepts social mobility personal growth celebrity encounters Practical Applications - motivational speaking - career coaching Questions to Reflect On - What hidden potentials might you be overlooking? - How can you stay open to unlikely opportunities? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Apprentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprentice/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Working class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/) ## Related quotes > [I definitely don't see myself as an actor. I don't even have it on my passport. I've got 'writer and electrician' on my passport.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-definitely-don-t-see-myself-as-an-actor-i-don-t-even-have-it-on-my/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I'm technically the utility guy on the field. Whether you need a plumber or an electrician, man, I'm here for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/i-m-technically-the-utility-guy-on-the-field-whether-you-need-a/) [Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/) > [My father was a guy most comfortable in the company of bricklayers and carpenters and electricians. And I have a lot of that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/my-father-was-a-guy-most-comfortable-in-the-company-of-bricklayers/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My dad's a worker, an electrician, a bog standard job. Nothing glamorous like a footballer, but yet he still provided me with what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-thomas/my-dad-s-a-worker-an-electrician-a-bog-standard-job-nothing-glamorous/) [Ashley Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-thomas/) > [I come from a blue collar family, but my personal life isn't. I didn't get the gene that my grandfather had in spades. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/i-come-from-a-blue-collar-family-but-my-personal-life-isn-t-i-didn-t/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [My mother's a secretary; my father's an electrician in a mining company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-herzigova/my-mother-s-a-secretary-my-father-s-an-electrician-in-a-mining-company/) [Eva Herzigova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-herzigova/) > [My mothers dad dropped out of the eighth grade to work. He had to. By the time he was 30, he was a master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/my-mothers-dad-dropped-out-of-the-eighth-grade-to-work-he-had-to-by/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [Ninety percent of my best friends back home are plumbers, electricians, builders, or landscapers. Most of our dads worked in trades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/ninety-percent-of-my-best-friends-back-home-are-plumbers-electricians/) [Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/) > [“But it is not given to every electrician to die in so glorious a manner as the justly envied Richmann. \[G. W. Richmann died…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/but-it-is-not-given-to-every-electrician-to-die-in-so-glorious-a/) [Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/) > [“My dad’s an electrician, for Pete’s sake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennifer-choldenko/my-dad-s-an-electrician-for-pete-s-sake/) [Gennifer Choldenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennifer-choldenko/) > [Everybody, every tradesman that worked for Shafin or built my house got fully paid, well paid. Everybody got paid. I would like that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-filan/everybody-every-tradesman-that-worked-for-shafin-or-built-my-house/) [Shane Filan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-filan/) > [I was an electrician, and now I'm in 'Electric Dreams.' It's almost bizarre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-cunningham/i-was-an-electrician-and-now-i-m-in-electric-dreams-it-s-almost/) [Liam Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-cunningham/) > [I know when I'm not dancing, and I go home, I usually work with my dad, who's an electrician. So I do stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-macmanus/i-know-when-i-m-not-dancing-and-i-go-home-i-usually-work-with-my-dad/) [Tristan MacManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-macmanus/) > [I take the subway four times a day, or close to it. I just love the subway! My grandfather worked as an electrician when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-take-the-subway-four-times-a-day-or-close-to-it-i-just-love-the/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) ## More by John Gordon Sinclair > [I'm a big fan of Elmore Leonard, and I've read Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre and so on. But I'd never read a crime novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-m-a-big-fan-of-elmore-leonard-and-i-ve-read-ian-rankin-christopher/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [Some of the best times I've ever had in my life have been because of acting and through acting. But I'm not interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/some-of-the-best-times-i-ve-ever-had-in-my-life-have-been-because-of/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [The biggest problem I have doing my acting is having to interact with other people. I think if it wasn't for my wife and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/the-biggest-problem-i-have-doing-my-acting-is-having-to-interact-with/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [I definitely don't see myself as an actor. I don't even have it on my passport. I've got 'writer and electrician' on my passport.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-definitely-don-t-see-myself-as-an-actor-i-don-t-even-have-it-on-my/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [I've always been fascinated with Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, having lived in London in the '80s when there was an Irish republican bombing campaign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-with-ireland-especially-northern-ireland/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [If you try to be funny, you're not being funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/if-you-try-to-be-funny-you-re-not-being-funny/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [A critic once described me as an 'amiable beanpole.' I got it printed on a T-shirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/a-critic-once-described-me-as-an-amiable-beanpole-i-got-it-printed-on/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [I think the problem I have is that first impressions are the ones that stick with people. And people's first impressions of me are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-think-the-problem-i-have-is-that-first-impressions-are-the-ones/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [I had to kiss Ruthie Henshall once with a cold. It was the final romantic moment in She Loves Me; as we separated, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-had-to-kiss-ruthie-henshall-once-with-a-cold-it-was-the-final/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [I don't like other actors much. The industry tends to attract insecure, needy people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-don-t-like-other-actors-much-the-industry-tends-to-attract-insecure/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [Since being a wee boy, I've wanted to be on the pitch at Hampden. I don't know why. I love all the international games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/since-being-a-wee-boy-i-ve-wanted-to-be-on-the-pitch-at-hampden-i-don/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) [Explore all 12 John Gordon Sinclair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the age of 14, if you'd told me I would one day be standing on a stage with Mel Brooks, I'd have thought you were off your head. 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