--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never was one to go into an office and…" description: "\"I never was one to go into an office and write. For one thing, I had a job. I was cleaning the ashtrays and setting up the studios at Columbia for a co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/kris-kristofferson-4931_about_i-never-was-one-to-go-into-an-office-and_1429693.jpg" --- # I never was one to go into an office and write. For one… ![“I never was one to go into an office and write. For one thing, I had a job. I was cleaning the ashtrays and setting up the studios at Columbia for a couple of years and working every other week down in the Gulf of Mexico flying helicopters. I didn't really get to just write songs for about five…” quote by Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/kris-kristofferson-4931_about_i-never-was-one-to-go-into-an-office-and_1429693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/kris-kristofferson-4931_about_i-never-was-one-to-go-into-an-office-and_1429693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/250/kris-kristofferson-4931_about_i-never-was-one-to-go-into-an-office-and_1429693.jpg) > “I never was one to go into an office and write. For one thing, I had a job. I was cleaning the ashtrays and setting up the studios at Columbia for a couple of years and working every other week down in the Gulf of Mexico flying helicopters. I didn't really get to just write songs for about five years.” [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life experiences outside the office shaped his songwriting, highlighting the value of diverse work. **In simple terms:** Varied jobs inspire art. Key Takeaway Embrace varied experiences for creativity. Themes creativity career experience Mood nostalgic inspirational Type memoir musical When to use this quote - songwriting - career change - travel Key Concepts artistic development work ethic Questions to Reflect On - Which job taught you the most about yourself? - How can mundane work fuel imagination? A Different Perspective Not all experiences translate to artistic output. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Cleaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleaning/) [Columbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/columbia/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Gulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulf/) [Gulf of mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulf-of-mexico/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-write/) [Mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexico/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Office Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office-write-1262917/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs/) [Studios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studios/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-songs/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-working/) ## Related quotes > [Have you been following the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Or as we call it now, the Dead Sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/have-you-been-following-the-big-oil-spill-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-or-as/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [I love the Gulf of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-spencer/i-love-the-gulf-of-mexico/) [Abigail Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-spencer/) > [The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hayward/the-gulf-of-mexico-is-a-very-big-ocean-the-amount-of-volume-of-oil/) [Tony Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hayward/) > [I've never seen oil slicks covering such a large area in the Gulf of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-amos/i-ve-never-seen-oil-slicks-covering-such-a-large-area-in-the-gulf-of/) [John Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-amos/) > [The stuff that's going on is just so over-the-top, with the banking crisis and destroying the Gulf of Mexico, and the outrage hasn't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/the-stuff-that-s-going-on-is-just-so-over-the-top-with-the-banking/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) > [BP had a lease to drill. They did not have a lease to pollute the Gulf of Mexico. They did not have a lease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/bp-had-a-lease-to-drill-they-did-not-have-a-lease-to-pollute-the-gulf/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [Congress did a good thing back in 1995 in passing the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act. That act did a simple thing. It provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/congress-did-a-good-thing-back-in-1995-in-passing-the-deep-water/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [The Gulf of Mexico, they believe, is a huge asteroid. That was an impact zone, you know that? Yeah, for that big a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/the-gulf-of-mexico-they-believe-is-a-huge-asteroid-that-was-an-impact/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [I don't oppose pipelines - I like infrastructure - but I heard that the Keystone XL pipeline was going to carry tar sands oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-laduke/i-don-t-oppose-pipelines-i-like-infrastructure-but-i-heard-that-the/) [Winona LaDuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-laduke/) > [My parents moved to Florida when I was 12, and my backyard was the Gulf of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-parents-moved-to-florida-when-i-was-12-and-my-backyard-was-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I don't go to an office, so I write at home. I like to write in the morning, if possible; that's when my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/i-don-t-go-to-an-office-so-i-write-at-home-i-like-to-write-in-the/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I get up in the morning, get to the office, and write until about six o'clock in the evening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-cussler/i-get-up-in-the-morning-get-to-the-office-and-write-until-about-six-o/) [Clive Cussler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-cussler/) > [I cannot always write at the same time, in the same place. I work, travel and have a vigorous family life. If I'm stranded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-agra-deedy/i-cannot-always-write-at-the-same-time-in-the-same-place-i-work/) [Carmen Agra Deedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-agra-deedy/) > [I was working the Gulf of Mexico on oil rigs, flying helicopters. I'd lost my family to my years of failing as a songwriter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-was-working-the-gulf-of-mexico-on-oil-rigs-flying-helicopters-i-d/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Right after I resigned from the Army in 1965, I flew helicopters for oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. I flew personnel from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/right-after-i-resigned-from-the-army-in-1965-i-flew-helicopters-for/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) ## More by Kris Kristofferson > [I'll probably be writing as long as I'm breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-ll-probably-be-writing-as-long-as-i-m-breathing/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Just remember that William Blake wasn't even published in his lifetime. Ya gotta keep creating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/just-remember-that-william-blake-wasn-t-even-published-in-his/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/peter-cooper-looks-at-the-world-with-an-artist-s-eye-and-a-human/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Freedom is just another word: It seems to get truer the older I get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/freedom-is-just-another-word-it-seems-to-get-truer-the-older-i-get/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [What really makes me happy now is my home. I know that I have that to lose. But I don't see losing it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/what-really-makes-me-happy-now-is-my-home-i-know-that-i-have-that-to/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I turned 30 as a janitor. I was thinking at the time that Hank Williams died when he was 29. All my peers were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-turned-30-as-a-janitor-i-was-thinking-at-the-time-that-hank/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [There are points in your life, especially if you have creative ambitions, where selfishness is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/there-are-points-in-your-life-especially-if-you-have-creative/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I always had to wait until something hit me, and I could write it. But when I would cut an album, to me it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-always-had-to-wait-until-something-hit-me-and-i-could-write-it-but/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [The older I get, the less conservative I become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/the-older-i-get-the-less-conservative-i-become/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I wish my memory weren't so bad. They tell me it's from all the football and boxing and the concussions that I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-wish-my-memory-weren-t-so-bad-they-tell-me-it-s-from-all-the/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Never's just the echo of forever, lonesome as a love that might have been. Let me go on lovin' and believin' 'til it's over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/never-s-just-the-echo-of-forever-lonesome-as-a-love-that-might-have/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [I feel like an old boxer. The brain's gone, but I can still move around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-feel-like-an-old-boxer-the-brain-s-gone-but-i-can-still-move-around/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Being in love with a lot of people is incompatible with a stable family life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/being-in-love-with-a-lot-of-people-is-incompatible-with-a-stable/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [The closest Ive come to knowing myself is in losing myself. Thats why I loved football before I loved music. I could lose myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/the-closest-ive-come-to-knowing-myself-is-in-losing-myself-thats-why/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) [Explore all 105 Kris Kristofferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never was one to go into an office and write. For one thing, I had a job. I was cleaning the ashtrays and setting up the studios at Columbia for a couple of years and working every other week down in the Gulf of Mexico flying helicopters. 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