--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When youve worked hard, and done well…" description: "\"When youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/michelle-obama-518_badass_when-youve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and_651803.jpg" --- # When youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through… ![“When youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.” quote by Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/michelle-obama-518_badass_when-youve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and_651803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/michelle-obama-518_badass_when-youve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and_651803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/michelle-obama-518_badass_when-youve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and_651803.jpg) > “When youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.” [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success should be shared; opening doors for others sustains collective progress. **In simple terms:** Give back as you rise. Key Takeaway Mentor and uplift peers. Themes generosity leadership opportunity Mood empathetic inspiring Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - business - education - non‑profits - career advancement Key Concepts social responsibility community building Questions to Reflect On - How can you help without sacrificing self‑growth? - What structures support reciprocal mentorship? A Different Perspective Sharing may dilute personal gains if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Badass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/badass/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Doorways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorways/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/when-you-ve-worked-hard-and-done-well-and-walked-through-that-doorway/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“He did not take chances, but had helped to bury men who did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-did-not-take-chances-but-had-helped-to-bury-men-who-did/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [When you walk through that door of opportunity you don't slam it shut behind you,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/when-you-walk-through-that-door-of-opportunity-you-don-t-slam-it-shut/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [Success is a staircase. Not a doorway. So if you keep striving, one day you might find your earned doorway of opportunity to prosper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-seaport/success-is-a-staircase-not-a-doorway-so-if-you-keep-striving-one-day/) [Pauline Seaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-seaport/) > [Most people haven't figured out when you are of service to other people outside of just yourself, the doorway for opportunity and blessings come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/most-people-haven-t-figured-out-when-you-are-of-service-to-other/) [Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/) > [He also tried to block the doorway when she left him. My mother ducked under his arm, ran to her car, and drove away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/he-also-tried-to-block-the-doorway-when-she-left-him-my-mother-ducked/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I don't play in spite of people, I play for the people who pushed me along, the people who have helped me succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-marchand/i-don-t-play-in-spite-of-people-i-play-for-the-people-who-pushed-me/) [Brad Marchand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-marchand/) > [“And when you're shooting at rocks, pushed aside, pulled back, you proceed. 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That's my main goal, and if I could choose one, then yes, it would have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-berdych/i-think-i-can-win-a-slam-that-s-my-main-goal-and-if-i-could-choose/) [Tomas Berdych](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-berdych/) > [Hopefully I can just have another terrible year with only the one Grand Slam and that will be just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-federer/hopefully-i-can-just-have-another-terrible-year-with-only-the-one/) [Roger Federer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-federer/) ## More by Michelle Obama > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-commitment-of-i-think-100-000/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [You work hard for what you want in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/you-work-hard-for-what-you-want-in-life/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward my husband,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-must-once-again-come-together-and-stand-together-for-the-man-we/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We're starting to see, as the economy improves, that the unemployment rate among veterans and military spouses - we're seeing some improvement in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-starting-to-see-as-the-economy-improves-that-the-unemployment/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [There's so much going on in the healthcare system that makes it difficult for women to really have a strong economic hold if insurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/there-s-so-much-going-on-in-the-healthcare-system-that-makes-it/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [In the 10 cities with the nation's highest obesity rates, the direct costs connected with obesity and obesity-related diseases are roughly $50 million per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/in-the-10-cities-with-the-nation-s-highest-obesity-rates-the-direct/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/what-i-admire-most-about-hillary-is-that-she-never-buckles-under/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [A lot of young people think they're invincible, but the truth is young people are knuckleheads... Now young people can get insurance for as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/a-lot-of-young-people-think-they-re-invincible-but-the-truth-is-young/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/one-of-the-lessons-that-i-grew-up-with-was-to-always-stay-true-to/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I have never felt more confident in myself, more clear on who I am as a woman. But I am constantly thinking about my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-have-never-felt-more-confident-in-myself-more-clear-on-who-i-am-as/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [ We got a commitment that 3 million nurses are going to be trained to better identify these signs \[of PTSD\], because, you know, when… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-got-a-commitment-that-3-million-nurses-are-going-to-be-trained-to/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [We're our kids' first and best role models. So the first question is, what are you as a mom or a dad doing every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-our-kids-first-and-best-role-models-so-the-first-question-is/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I've always tried to make sure that what I do really connects with the broader agenda of what my husband is trying to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-ve-always-tried-to-make-sure-that-what-i-do-really-connects-with/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all of our sons and daughters;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-know-from-experience-that-if-i-truly-want-to-leave-a-better-world/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) [Explore all 504 Michelle Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) ## More Badass quotes > [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [“Also, they seemed a bit Hunger Game-ish which only made me feel that much more like a badass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-higginson/also-they-seemed-a-bit-hunger-game-ish-which-only-made-me-feel-that/) [Rachel Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-higginson/) > [“Badass.'" My grandfather sampled the flavor of the word. It did not seem to revolt him, but it was nothing he needed ever to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/badass-my-grandfather-sampled-the-flavor-of-the-word-it-did-not-seem/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Reproductive freedom means economic freedom. 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The man fell, a crossbow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/i-do-not-take-orders-from-women-my-men-do-not-have-a-similar-problem/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“In Heathrow a vast chunk of memory detached itself from a blank bowl of airport sky and fell on him. He vomited into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/in-heathrow-a-vast-chunk-of-memory-detached-itself-from-a-blank-bowl/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [People are always like, Why did you and husband Carey Hart get back together? Well, we weren't done. And now we have Willow, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/people-are-always-like-why-did-you-and-husband-carey-hart-get-back/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [ “Daryl Dixon: \[about Merle\] Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. 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