--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Over the years, many executives have said…" description: "\"Over the years, many executives have said to me with pride: 'Boy, I worked so hard last year that I didn't take any vacation.' I always feel like respo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/lee-iacocca-3170_boys_over-the-years-many-executives-have-said_396490.png" --- # Over the years, many executives have said to me with… ![“Over the years, many executives have said to me with pride: 'Boy, I worked so hard last year that I didn't take any vacation.' I always feel like responding, "You dummy. You mean to tell me you can take responsibility for an eighty-million-dollar project and you can't plan two weeks out of the…” quote by Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/lee-iacocca-3170_boys_over-the-years-many-executives-have-said_396490.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/lee-iacocca-3170_boys_over-the-years-many-executives-have-said_396490.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/lee-iacocca-3170_boys_over-the-years-many-executives-have-said_396490.png) > “Over the years, many executives have said to me with pride: 'Boy, I worked so hard last year that I didn't take any vacation.' I always feel like responding, "You dummy. You mean to tell me you can take responsibility for an eighty-million-dollar project and you can't plan two weeks out of the year to have some fun?” [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard work without rest is unsustainable; balance is essential for long‑term success. **In simple terms:** Work must be balanced with rest. Key Takeaway Schedule regular breaks. Themes worklife balance leadership productivity Mood reflective serious Type advice motivational When to use this quote - executive meetings - project planning - personal time management Key Concepts sustainability burnout prevention Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize downtime? - What are the costs of neglecting rest? A Different Perspective Rest is often undervalued in high‑stakes environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Didn Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-vacation-639884/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Dummy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dummy/) [Eighty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighty/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Executives Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives-said-353494/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Last year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-year/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Million dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-dollars/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects/) [Responding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responding/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Eighty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-eighty-3565483/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Taking responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-responsibility/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-weeks/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) [Vacation Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation-feel-1708676/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-executives-3565482/) ## Related quotes > [“Asked to paint a picture of the company in 20 years, the executives mentioned such things as “on the cover of Business Week as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/asked-to-paint-a-picture-of-the-company-in-20-years-the-executives/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [Studio executives who have said they would never ever release major movies direct to streaming platforms are now doing exactly that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randi-zuckerberg/studio-executives-who-have-said-they-would-never-ever-release-major/) [Randi Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randi-zuckerberg/) > [Whenever I pack for a vacation, I always feel like I'm forgetting something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-i-pack-for-a-vacation-i-always-feel-like-i-m-forgetting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whenever I go anywhere but Italy for a vacation, I always feel vaguely disappointed, as if I have made a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/whenever-i-go-anywhere-but-italy-for-a-vacation-i-always-feel-vaguely/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [My first company was MicroSolutions. I worked 20 hours a day. I didn't take a vacation for 7 years. I didn't even take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/my-first-company-was-microsolutions-i-worked-20-hours-a-day-i-didn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [There's a lot of pressure, and it's a long battle, to coach at the elite level. My wife and I didn't take a vacation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liang-chow/there-s-a-lot-of-pressure-and-it-s-a-long-battle-to-coach-at-the/) [Liang Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liang-chow/) > [I didn't do anything productive during my break after 'Dream Girl.' I didn't even take a vacation!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-dutta/i-didn-t-do-anything-productive-during-my-break-after-dream-girl-i/) [Nikita Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-dutta/) > [I just quit eating like a dummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-kracker/i-just-quit-eating-like-a-dummy/) [Uncle Kracker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uncle-kracker/) > [We used to say, There's nothing cool about being a dummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-paul/we-used-to-say-there-s-nothing-cool-about-being-a-dummy/) [Rich Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-paul/) > [Always hire people who are better than you. Hiring dummies is shortsighted. You can't move up the ladder until everyone is comfortable with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-wyse/always-hire-people-who-are-better-than-you-hiring-dummies-is/) [Lois Wyse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-wyse/) > [I hope people have pulled something about me and said "Hey Mr. T loves his mother, hey Mr. T ain't no dummy, hey Mr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-hope-people-have-pulled-something-about-me-and-said-hey-mr-t-loves/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [I aint giving yu nun bet's go find yu ah dummy !!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/i-aint-giving-yu-nun-bet-s-go-find-yu-ah-dummy/) [Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/) > [My goal was to prove to my family I wasn't a dummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-goodell/my-goal-was-to-prove-to-my-family-i-wasn-t-a-dummy/) [Roger Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-goodell/) > [Somewhere, there's someone who's masturbation ritual ends with them setting up ventriloquist dummies facing the bed. I mean, someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/somewhere-there-s-someone-who-s-masturbation-ritual-ends-with-them/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## More by Lee Iacocca > [The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-right-decision-is-the-wrong-decision-if-it-s-made-too-late/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [“Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then...do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/apply-yourself-get-all-the-education-you-can-but-then-do-something/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [The ability to concentrate and to use time well is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-ability-to-concentrate-and-to-use-time-well-is-everything/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [There are times in everyone's life when something constructive is born out of adversity... when things seem so bad that you've got to grab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/there-are-times-in-everyone-s-life-when-something-constructive-is/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/in-a-completely-rational-society-the-best-of-us-would-be-teachers-and/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [It was emotional when Chrysler sold out to the Germans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/it-was-emotional-when-chrysler-sold-out-to-the-germans/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/we-are-continually-faced-by-great-opportunities-brilliantly-disguised/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-greatest-discovery-of-my-generation-is-that-human-beings-can/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/no-matter-what-you-ve-done-for-yourself-or-for-humanity-if-you-can-t/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Be creative. Use unconventional thinking. And have the guts to carry it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/be-creative-use-unconventional-thinking-and-have-the-guts-to-carry-it/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [ They're on you day and night. Their oversight is just too extreme \[. . .\] That's why our 10-year loan, we paid it back… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/they-re-on-you-day-and-night-their-oversight-is-just-too-extreme-that/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/i-hire-people-brighter-than-me-and-then-i-get-out-of-their-way/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/i-have-found-that-being-honest-is-the-best-technique-i-can-use-right/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Your legacy should be that you made it better than it was when you got it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/your-legacy-should-be-that-you-made-it-better-than-it-was-when-you/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Never rest on your oars as a boss. If you do, the whole company starts sinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/never-rest-on-your-oars-as-a-boss-if-you-do-the-whole-company-starts/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) [Explore all 138 Lee Iacocca quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) ## More Boys quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [Lets face it this world is ruled by girls that why we must away pleases our girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrawesome/lets-face-it-this-world-is-ruled-by-girls-that-why-we-must-away/) [MrAwesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrawesome/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [When it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-bullying-small-businesses-donald-trump-is-the-poster/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [In the middle of a play, I go crazy and don't realize what I'm doing. I'll snap back to reality and I realize, 'Hey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-bosworth/in-the-middle-of-a-play-i-go-crazy-and-don-t-realize-what-i-m-doing-i/) [Brian Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-bosworth/) > [If Pete’s (Sampras) child is a girl, my son will like her; if he’s a boy, my son will defeat him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/if-pete-s-sampras-child-is-a-girl-my-son-will-like-her-if-he-s-a-boy/) [Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/) > [The tie's a multi purpose accessory, y'know, belt, school boy, Rambo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/the-tie-s-a-multi-purpose-accessory-y-know-belt-school-boy-rambo/) [Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/) > [The reason I went to an all-boys Catholic school was because they had the best football team. We won the state championship my junior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-rossi/the-reason-i-went-to-an-all-boys-catholic-school-was-because-they-had/) [Theo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-rossi/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [She had been dragged in the most humiliating of all dusts, the dust reserved for older women who let themselves be approached, on amorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/she-had-been-dragged-in-the-most-humiliating-of-all-dusts-the-dust/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [As you'll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/as-you-ll-never-hear-the-thing-again-my-boy-why-not-throw-in-a-couple/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/) [Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/) [Browse all 7,168 Boys quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Over the years, many executives have said to me with pride: 'Boy, I worked so hard last year that I didn't take any vacation.' I always feel like responding, \"You dummy. 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