---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never had a plan. Things happen to…"
description: "\"I have never had a plan. Things happen to me, and, of course, I make friends who later say, 'Hey, you know who would be good for this? McKean would be ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg"
---

#  I have never had a plan. Things happen to me, and, of…

![“I have never had a plan. Things happen to me, and, of course, I make friends who later say, 'Hey, you know who would be good for this? McKean would be good for this.' And they hire me, and if they like me, they hire me again, or the word gets out.” quote by Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg)

> “I have never had a plan. Things happen to me, and, of course, I make friends who later say, 'Hey, you know who would be good for this? McKean would be good for this.' And they hire me, and if they like me, they hire me again, or the word gets out.”

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

## About This Quote

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

Career advancement can come from informal networks and reputation rather than formal planning.

**In simple terms:** Networking and reputation drive career growth.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate relationships and deliver quality work.

Themes

career networking chance

Mood

pragmatic optimistic

Type

professional advice

When to use this quote

- job hunting
- freelance work
- project bidding

Key Concepts

social capital reputation management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance networking with goal setting?
- What role does reputation play in your field?

A Different Perspective

May overlook the need for strategic planning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/)

## Related quotes

> [“Don't Hire Good…Hire Great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-polnow/don-t-hire-good-hire-great/)

Diane Polnow

> [I think everything that I've done, I've been involved with for longer. Either you develop it from scratch, or you take something, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-think-everything-that-i-ve-done-i-ve-been-involved-with-for-longer/)

[Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/)

> [ When you hire somebody, you shouldn't have to tell them \[a lot of what\] to do; you hire them because you like their work… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scoot-mcnairy/when-you-hire-somebody-you-shouldn-t-have-to-tell-them-a-lot-of-what/)

[Scoot McNairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scoot-mcnairy/)

> [If you are in a hiring position, hire someone that is nothing like you. We keep looking for the commonalities, but find someone with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bozoma-saint-john/if-you-are-in-a-hiring-position-hire-someone-that-is-nothing-like-you/)

[Bozoma Saint John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bozoma-saint-john/)

> [When you go to auditions, pretend you already have the job and you're just presenting - almost like you're at the table read. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lynn-rajskub/when-you-go-to-auditions-pretend-you-already-have-the-job-and-you-re/)

[Mary Lynn Rajskub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lynn-rajskub/)

> [I never stop to plan. I take things step-by-step.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcleod-bethune/i-never-stop-to-plan-i-take-things-step-by-step/)

[Mary McLeod Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mcleod-bethune/)

> [You may not plan for some things in life but your destiny will take you there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-zahara/you-may-not-plan-for-some-things-in-life-but-your-destiny-will-take/)

[Rita Zahara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-zahara/)

> [I myself don't like to speak to the actors at all. I like to hire great people and let them do their thing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-myself-don-t-like-to-speak-to-the-actors-at-all-i-like-to-hire/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [It's safe to typecast 'Put a gun in his hand Give him a cop uniform' Or stick him in and make him the bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-don-baker/it-s-safe-to-typecast-put-a-gun-in-his-hand-give-him-a-cop-uniform-or/)

[Joe Don Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-don-baker/)

> [It's easy for a multi-billion company like WWE - it's for a company like that to hire anyone. So I'm glad Bobby Lashley is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-del-rio/it-s-easy-for-a-multi-billion-company-like-wwe-it-s-for-a-company/)

[Alberto Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-del-rio/)

> [I don't want to be in boardrooms talking about hiring hairdressers and minivans. I'm not good at it, and I don't like to hire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/i-don-t-want-to-be-in-boardrooms-talking-about-hiring-hairdressers/)

[Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/)

> [I like to hire the kind of people that I would want to be on stage with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantello/i-like-to-hire-the-kind-of-people-that-i-would-want-to-be-on-stage/)

[Joe Mantello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantello/)

> [Love. Purpose. Those are things that you can't plan for. Those are things that just happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/love-purpose-those-are-things-that-you-can-t-plan-for-those-are/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [I didn't have any plans to act, as I thought I would take up a job behind the camera. But, life had its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouni-roy/i-didn-t-have-any-plans-to-act-as-i-thought-i-would-take-up-a-job/)

[Mouni Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouni-roy/)

> [I train hard; I have the best coaching staff in the world... We always do the right things. I stick to the plan, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/i-train-hard-i-have-the-best-coaching-staff-in-the-world-we-always-do/)

[Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/)

## More by Michael McKean

> [I think 'The X-Files' was a very important moment in TV history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-think-the-x-files-was-a-very-important-moment-in-tv-history/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [They were kind of like little Stephen King stories... but these go back many hundreds of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/they-were-kind-of-like-little-stephen-king-stories-but-these-go-back/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [On film, when you're driving home from the set, you realize what you should have done, but it's too late. When you're taking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/on-film-when-you-re-driving-home-from-the-set-you-realize-what-you/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [Jazz, isn't that just a series of mistakes diguised as musical composition?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/jazz-isn-t-that-just-a-series-of-mistakes-diguised-as-musical/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [There's more than one way to do TV just like there's more than one way to do widescreen movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/there-s-more-than-one-way-to-do-tv-just-like-there-s-more-than-one/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [Those people that you know for a long time and that you love, they're the easiest to talk to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/those-people-that-you-know-for-a-long-time-and-that-you-love-they-re/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [After I left 'Laverne &amp; Shirley,' I got a ton of offers to play the goofy guy next door, and there were a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/after-i-left-laverne-shirley-i-got-a-ton-of-offers-to-play-the-goofy/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [I was working with Bryan Cranston in 'All the Way.' We were about to make an entrance together - I was Hoover, he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-was-working-with-bryan-cranston-in-all-the-way-we-were-about-to/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [David Lander and I met in September of 1965. We were both students at Carnegie Tech, as it was then known. Before the Mellon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/david-lander-and-i-met-in-september-of-1965-we-were-both-students-at/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [I'm all over the place. As you may have seen from the credits, I write with everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-m-all-over-the-place-as-you-may-have-seen-from-the-credits-i-write/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [I watch my wife knitting, and it's like watching close-up magic to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-watch-my-wife-knitting-and-it-s-like-watching-close-up-magic-to-me/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [When we can figure out a way to really tour and make a profit, then we'll do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/when-we-can-figure-out-a-way-to-really-tour-and-make-a-profit-then-we/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [Some people stay in the academic world just to avoid becoming self-aware. You can quote me on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/some-people-stay-in-the-academic-world-just-to-avoid-becoming-self/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [Some of the most interesting characters in literature and in movies and TV have been ones that you can't quite figure out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/some-of-the-most-interesting-characters-in-literature-and-in-movies/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

> [There are people in the world who won't watch a movie that's in black and white. There's got to be a special place in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/there-are-people-in-the-world-who-won-t-watch-a-movie-that-s-in-black/)

[Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

[Explore all 43 Michael McKean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/)

## More Again quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/)

[W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/)

> [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/)

[Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/)

> [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/)

[Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/)

> [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/)

[Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/)

> [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/)

[Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/)

> [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/)

[Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/)

> [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/)

[John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/)

> [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/)

[Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/)

> [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/)

[Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/)

> [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/)

[Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/)

> [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/)

[Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/)

> [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/)

[Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/)

Browse all 2,975 Again quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have never had a plan. Things happen to me, and, of course, I make friends who later say, 'Hey, you know who would be good for this? McKean would be good for this.' And they hire me, and if they like me, they hire me again, or the word gets out.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael McKean"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to-me-and-of-course-i-make/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Again"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to-me-and-of-course-i-make/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/michael-mckean-15387_again_i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to_1285154.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have never had a plan. Things happen to me, and, of course, I make friends who later say, 'Hey, you know…” — Michael McKean",
                "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": "Michael McKean",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have never had a plan....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to-me-and-of-course-i-make/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-have-never-had-a-plan-things-happen-to-me-and-of-course-i-make/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
