---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I didn't do was pick one thing and…"
description: "\"What I didn't do was pick one thing and keep saying it over and over again, so I could have gotten credit for it.\" — Mario Cuomo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png"
---

#  What I didn't do was pick one thing and keep saying it…

![“What I didn't do was pick one thing and keep saying it over and over again, so I could have gotten credit for it.” quote by Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png)

> “What I didn't do was pick one thing and keep saying it over and over again, so I could have gotten credit for it.”

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker avoided repetitive focus on a single issue to prevent being typecast and to maintain broader credibility.

**In simple terms:** He didn’t repeat one thing for credit.

Key Takeaway

Diversify efforts to build lasting impact.

Themes

politics integrity strategy reputation

Mood

strategic reflective

Type

advisory philosophical

When to use this quote

- campaign leadership
- policy development
- public speaking

Key Concepts

focus management credit avoidance

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance depth and breadth?
- When is specialization more valuable than diversification?

A Different Perspective

Risk of diluting expertise across many topics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Didn Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-pick-459115/) [Gotten Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotten-credit-231744/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Pick Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-thing-2452491/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Thing Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-saying-1191036/)

## Related quotes

> [Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up forty-two thousand...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/maybe-if-i-didn-t-pick-up-that-one-person-i-wouldn-t-have-picked-up/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [We haven't really gotten the credit for what we have done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-haven-t-really-gotten-the-credit-for-what-we-have-done/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

> [I personally feel like black people in America have contributed so much for so long, and haven't always gotten credit for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-personally-feel-like-black-people-in-america-have-contributed-so/)

[Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/)

> [It's true that I've driven through a number of red lights on occasion, but on the other hand, I've stopped at a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/it-s-true-that-i-ve-driven-through-a-number-of-red-lights-on-occasion/)

[Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/)

> [My head's not in the clouds, but I think I've gotten too much credit for being an astute businessman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/my-head-s-not-in-the-clouds-but-i-think-i-ve-gotten-too-much-credit/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [I've never gotten enough credit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-ve-never-gotten-enough-credit/)

[Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/)

> [I wasn't a predator. I didn't pick on other people all right, but people didn't beat me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-wasn-t-a-predator-i-didn-t-pick-on-other-people-all-right-but/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [Pick the one thing that you've really been putting off, that seems too big or too scary or too whatever, and do it this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/pick-the-one-thing-that-you-ve-really-been-putting-off-that-seems-too/)

[Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/)

> [My first kiss was when I was 7, and it was scandalous because he was 10! I only did it so he would pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-alba/my-first-kiss-was-when-i-was-7-and-it-was-scandalous-because-he-was/)

[Jessica Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-alba/)

> [We've been brought up to pick one thing in life and become really good at just that. But that's never what I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-pratury/we-ve-been-brought-up-to-pick-one-thing-in-life-and-become-really/)

[Lakshmi Pratury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-pratury/)

> [They're my mistakes. ... I didn't pick the right guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-millen/they-re-my-mistakes-i-didn-t-pick-the-right-guys/)

[Matt Millen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-millen/)

> [ “Pick up a thing," \[Wizard Kadmeion's\]mother would say. "Touch, smell, and taste it. Listen to its nonsense. Then put the funny thing in its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lita-burke/pick-up-a-thing-wizard-kadmeion-s-mother-would-say-touch-smell-and/)

[Lita Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lita-burke/)

> [You either sit there and take the roles that you don't want to do, and forever - I didn't pick this career to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joivan-wade/you-either-sit-there-and-take-the-roles-that-you-don-t-want-to-do-and/)

[Joivan Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joivan-wade/)

> [“Always pick the thing that is not a chain, is one way to try to save the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/always-pick-the-thing-that-is-not-a-chain-is-one-way-to-try-to-save/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [We knew we made a mistake in 2014. We didn't pick music that was dear to our hearts and weren't personally invested in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-moir/we-knew-we-made-a-mistake-in-2014-we-didn-t-pick-music-that-was-dear/)

[Scott Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-moir/)

## More by Mario Cuomo

> [There is a respectable body of economic thought that holds that casino gambling is actually economically regressive to a state and a community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/there-is-a-respectable-body-of-economic-thought-that-holds-that/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [We believe in a government that is characterized by fairness and reasonableness, a reasonableness that goes beyond labels, that doesn't distort or promise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-believe-in-a-government-that-is-characterized-by-fairness-and/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [America was born in outrageous ambition, so bold as to be improbable. The deprived, the oppressed, the powerless from all over the globe came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/america-was-born-in-outrageous-ambition-so-bold-as-to-be-improbable/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [The biggest aggravation in the Arab world, the biggest reason for their anger toward us and the creation of those suicide terrorists, is Israel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-biggest-aggravation-in-the-arab-world-the-biggest-reason-for/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [Nobody has ever gotten a bigger push than Bill Clinton gave to Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/nobody-has-ever-gotten-a-bigger-push-than-bill-clinton-gave-to-obama/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [It is not a government's obligation to provide services, but to see that they are provided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/it-is-not-a-government-s-obligation-to-provide-services-but-to-see/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/my-favorite-thought-about-abraham-lincoln-is-he-believed-in-two/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [9/11 occurs, and you're going to rebuild, and after awhile, the memory will be there, but there will be something new there, and different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/9-11-occurs-and-you-re-going-to-rebuild-and-after-awhile-the-memory/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [The Mafia is a question every time an Italian raises his head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-mafia-is-a-question-every-time-an-italian-raises-his-head/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [People asked me what I want as an epitaph: 'He tried'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/people-asked-me-what-i-want-as-an-epitaph-he-tried/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [I had not even thought of running for president until one day in 1991, at a small fund-raiser, completely unanticipated, someone stood up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-had-not-even-thought-of-running-for-president-until-one-day-in-1991/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to believe as a Jew, a Protestant, or non-believer, or as anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-protect-my-right-to-be-a-catholic-by-preserving-your-right-to/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [I love immigrants. Legal, illegal - they're not to be despised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-love-immigrants-legal-illegal-they-re-not-to-be-despised/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [Barack Obama is probably one of the brightest in terms of sheer intelligence... also probably the best orator we've ever had as a president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/barack-obama-is-probably-one-of-the-brightest-in-terms-of-sheer/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [The American people need no course in philosophy or political science of church history to know that God should not be made into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-american-people-need-no-course-in-philosophy-or-political-science/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

[Explore all 105 Mario Cuomo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

## More Credit quotes

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/)

[Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/)

> [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/)

[Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/)

> [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [I am a millionaire today and my wife deserves all of the credit. Before I met her I was a multi-millionaire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chi-chi-rodriguez/i-am-a-millionaire-today-and-my-wife-deserves-all-of-the-credit/)

[Chi Chi Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chi-chi-rodriguez/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [Loyal people don't get enough credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/loyal-people-don-t-get-enough-credit/)

[Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/)

> [“An honest man is a debtless man, he doesn't owe anyone anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-honest-man-is-a-debtless-man-he-doesn-t-owe-anyone-anything/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [What Wall Street and credit card companies are doing is really not much different from what gangsters and loan sharks do who make predatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-wall-street-and-credit-card-companies-are-doing-is-really-not/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [Your goal should be to pay off your credit card bills in full at the end of each month and set aside money toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/your-goal-should-be-to-pay-off-your-credit-card-bills-in-full-at-the/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

> [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [I don't want to live off the credit of taking fights. I want to life off the credit of beating the best guys in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hooker/i-don-t-want-to-live-off-the-credit-of-taking-fights-i-want-to-life/)

[Dan Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hooker/)

> [The laws keep up their credit, not by being just, but because they are laws; 'tis the mystic foundation of their authority; they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-laws-keep-up-their-credit-not-by-being-just-but-because-they-are/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [I never bothered about keeping track.Every now and then someone records one of my songs, and I get credit for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/i-never-bothered-about-keeping-track-every-now-and-then-someone/)

[Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/)

[Browse all 2,736 Credit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What I didn't do was pick one thing and keep saying it over and over again, so I could have gotten credit for it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mario Cuomo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and-keep-saying-it-over-and-over/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Credit"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and-keep-saying-it-over-and-over/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/mario-cuomo-4807_credit_what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and_608694.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I didn't do was pick one thing and keep saying it over and over again, so I could have gotten credit…” — Mario Cuomo",
                "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": "Mario Cuomo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What I didn't do was pick...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and-keep-saying-it-over-and-over/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/what-i-didn-t-do-was-pick-one-thing-and-keep-saying-it-over-and-over/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
