--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent…" description: "\"When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent business: I would walk your dog for a dime, go to the store for a dime, empty your garbage for a dime - and then I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png" --- # When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent business: I would… ![“When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent business: I would walk your dog for a dime, go to the store for a dime, empty your garbage for a dime - and then I could use the money to buy tricks at the magic store.” quote by Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png) > “When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent business: I would walk your dog for a dime, go to the store for a dime, empty your garbage for a dime - and then I could use the money to buy tricks at the magic store.” [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child entrepreneur learns value of work, exchange, and imagination through small jobs. **In simple terms:** Kids can earn and learn by doing simple tasks. Key Takeaway Start small jobs to fund bigger dreams. Themes work entrepreneurship imagination learning Mood playful reflective Type anecdotal inspirational When to use this quote - schoolyard - neighborhood - family chores - summer jobs Key Concepts exchange initiative resourcefulness Questions to Reflect On - How can small tasks teach financial literacy? - What value do you find in simple work? A Different Perspective Limited to childhood context; adult relevance may differ. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want someone to be nice and friendly while telling me my bill's gone up by 10 per cent because they've just decided that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lycett/i-don-t-want-someone-to-be-nice-and-friendly-while-telling-me-my-bill/) [Joe Lycett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lycett/) > [The whole business was like a child's toy that you could buy at the dime store, all built in this wonderful way that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-delbruck/the-whole-business-was-like-a-child-s-toy-that-you-could-buy-at-the/) [Max Delbruck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-delbruck/) > [If I didn't believe in what I'm doing, I'd rather go to work in a dime store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-wood/if-i-didn-t-believe-in-what-i-m-doing-i-d-rather-go-to-work-in-a-dime/) [Natalie Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-wood/) > [“She was cuckoo about dime stores, where she bought cosmetics and pins and combs. After we locked the expensive purchases in the station wagon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/she-was-cuckoo-about-dime-stores-where-she-bought-cosmetics-and-pins/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I Need Me A Dime That Can Roll Me A Dub <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malliyah/i-need-me-a-dime-that-can-roll-me-a-dub-3/) Malliyah > [A nickel ain't worth a dime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/a-nickel-ain-t-worth-a-dime/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Life turns on a dime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/life-turns-on-a-dime/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [My career was one of just taking it step by step. I didn't know how I was gonna fare on the professional circuit when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-watson/my-career-was-one-of-just-taking-it-step-by-step-i-didn-t-know-how-i/) [Tom Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-watson/) > [I've saved every dime I've made in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chely-wright/i-ve-saved-every-dime-i-ve-made-in-my-life/) [Chely Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chely-wright/) > [These days, you’ve gotta milk a dollar out of every dime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/these-days-you-ve-gotta-milk-a-dollar-out-of-every-dime/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [The whole value of the dime is in knowing what to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-whole-value-of-the-dime-is-in-knowing-what-to-do-with-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I did not inherit a single dime from my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/i-did-not-inherit-a-single-dime-from-my-father/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [I never made a damn dime until I started doing what I wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-shelby/i-never-made-a-damn-dime-until-i-started-doing-what-i-wanted/) [Carroll Shelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-shelby/) > [That's what being a front man is all about - the idea of having something supple underneath you, that machine that roars and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/that-s-what-being-a-front-man-is-all-about-the-idea-of-having/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [She aint gotta be a dime but she gotta be a nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-boosie/she-aint-gotta-be-a-dime-but-she-gotta-be-a-nine/) [Lil Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-boosie/) ## More by Lily Tomlin > [If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/if-truth-is-beauty-how-come-no-one-has-their-hair-done-in-a-library/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“So if you've had a good time tonight, or if you've had a good time any night, for gosh sake's why not drop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/so-if-you-ve-had-a-good-time-tonight-or-if-you-ve-had-a-good-time-any/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/forgiveness-means-giving-up-all-hope-for-a-better-past/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I bought a box of animal crackers, but there was nothing inside. They'd eaten each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-bought-a-box-of-animal-crackers-but-there-was-nothing-inside-they-d/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Wouldn't it be great if we all grew up to be what we wanted to be? The world would be full of nurses, firemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-we-all-grew-up-to-be-what-we-wanted-to-be-the/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [You know being relevant or coming up with something interesting, funny to say about what's current is just as hard as it might ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/you-know-being-relevant-or-coming-up-with-something-interesting-funny/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I wanted to be a stage actress. I wanted to be a New York actress and have a community with other actors. 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But most of all, I feel very, very alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/in-the-depths-of-the-night-fear-grips-my-heart-it-paralyzes-my-mind/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. And then I realized I was somebody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-always-wondered-why-somebody-didn-t-do-something-about-that-and/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/sometimes-i-worry-about-being-a-success-in-a-mediocre-world/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [And yet humanity is so not evolved that how can you expect anything absolutely major to happen? Look how long, we move ahead in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/and-yet-humanity-is-so-not-evolved-that-how-can-you-expect-anything/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [The whole idea of being in captivity in such limited space, especially in a zoo, causes elephants to suffer. They develop all kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/the-whole-idea-of-being-in-captivity-in-such-limited-space-especially/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) [Explore all 135 Lily Tomlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent business: I would walk your dog for a dime, go to the store for a dime, empty your garbage for a dime - and then I could use the money to buy tricks at the magic store.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lily Tomlin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-business-i-would-walk-your-dog/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-business-i-would-walk-your-dog/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/lily-tomlin-3278_business_when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-busi_1610149.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was 9 or 10, I had a ten-cent business: I would walk your dog for a dime, go to the store for a dime…” — Lily Tomlin", "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": "Lily Tomlin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was 9 or 10,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-business-i-would-walk-your-dog/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/when-i-was-9-or-10-i-had-a-ten-cent-business-i-would-walk-your-dog/#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 } } ] } ```