---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly I’m qualified to crash a…"
description: "\"“Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.”\" — Paolo Bacigalupi"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg"
---

#  Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.

![“Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.” quote by Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg)

> ““Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.””

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

## About This Quote

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

Self‑deprecating humor about being unqualified can mask confidence or absurdity.

**In simple terms:** Joking about being unqualified may hide true skill.

Key Takeaway

Own your expertise, humor aside.

Themes

humor confidence self‑assessment

Mood

lighthearted reflective

Type

satirical motivational

When to use this quote

- job interviews
- public speaking
- creative writing

Key Concepts

self‑efficacy absurdity communication

Questions to Reflect On

- When is humor appropriate?
- Does self‑deprecation help or hinder?

A Different Perspective

Humor can obscure seriousness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Certainly Qualified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly-qualified-2274140/) [Crash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crash/) [Crash Dirigible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crash-dirigible-2274138/) [Dirigible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirigible-2274141/) [Qualified Crash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualified-crash-2274139/)

## Related quotes

> [Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is certainly qualified to be president. He is certainly competent to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/even-if-i-disagree-with-obama-on-many-many-things-he-is-certainly/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/)

[James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/)

> [We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/)

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

> [It's like when we get the transformer movies. It was all a bunch of smaller robot pieces and then you're on set, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-nicotero/it-s-like-when-we-get-the-transformer-movies-it-was-all-a-bunch-of/)

[Gregory Nicotero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-nicotero/)

> [You put together two people who have not been put together before. Sometimes it is like that first attempt to harness a hydrogen balloon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-people-who-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [But I am only human and I bleed when I fall down I am only human and I crash and I break down u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/human/but-i-am-only-human-and-i-bleed-when-i-fall-down-i-am-only-human-and/)

[Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/human/)

> [“A shooting star, a cloud, or some sign from the Goddess…? One second later, the world shattered. Her father's grumbling voice was suddenly cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-shreffler/a-shooting-star-a-cloud-or-some-sign-from-the-goddess-one-second/)

[T.L. Shreffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-shreffler/)

> [It is moonlight. Alone in the silence I ascend my stairs once more, While waves remote in pale blue starlight Crash on a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/it-is-moonlight-alone-in-the-silence-i-ascend-my-stairs-once-more/)

[Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/)

> [Consider developing your whole self with the same raw focus and intensity that you develop a particular skill set. Get focused. Go out, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/consider-developing-your-whole-self-with-the-same-raw-focus-and/)

[Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/)

> [And I always think of life like a giant wave. You know, it rises and it crests and it flies, and it's just magnificent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/and-i-always-think-of-life-like-a-giant-wave-you-know-it-rises-and-it/)

[Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/)

> [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I had no desire to crash a man's world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-lupino/i-had-no-desire-to-crash-a-man-s-world/)

[Ida Lupino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-lupino/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

## More by Paolo Bacigalupi

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“How did you find truth when everyone was talking about sides?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/how-did-you-find-truth-when-everyone-was-talking-about-sides/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“At the time, he told his children to watch themselves, to understand that the tides of conservatism came and went and if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/at-the-time-he-told-his-children-to-watch-themselves-to-understand/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [The future looks a bit bleak to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/the-future-looks-a-bit-bleak-to-me/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“Doctor Mahfouz was always yammering on about how everyone had humanity in them. From Mahlia’s experience, the doctor was sliding high, but now, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/doctor-mahfouz-was-always-yammering-on-about-how-everyone-had/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Politics is ugly. Never doubt what small men will do for great power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/politics-is-ugly-never-doubt-what-small-men-will-do-for-great-power/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“Believing is for Santa Claus, right? It's for Tooth Fairies. It's for your boyfriend when he says he's never met anyone like you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/believing-is-for-santa-claus-right-it-s-for-tooth-fairies-it-s-for/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Never beg for mercy. Accept that you have failed. Begging is for dogs and humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/never-beg-for-mercy-accept-that-you-have-failed-begging-is-for-dogs/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“Half-men don’t fight like people. More like hurricanes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/half-men-don-t-fight-like-people-more-like-hurricanes/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“Maybe it will die on its own, a hopeful voice whispered, but the general suppressed the thought. Wishes were for victims.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/maybe-it-will-die-on-its-own-a-hopeful-voice-whispered-but-the/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [I used to love reading, but since I've started writing, it's harder for me to immerse, because I spend so much time looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/i-used-to-love-reading-but-since-i-ve-started-writing-it-s-harder-for/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Sex and hypocrisy. They go together like coffee and cream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/sex-and-hypocrisy-they-go-together-like-coffee-and-cream/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“Crew up, Nailer!" Lucky Girl shouted. "You think I'm going to pull your ass up here like a damn swank?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/crew-up-nailer-lucky-girl-shouted-you-think-i-m-going-to-pull-your/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“There were times when he'd told her that every star was a bit of gold that was hers for the taking, because she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/there-were-times-when-he-d-told-her-that-every-star-was-a-bit-of-gold/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [“The theater of operation built itself in Tool’s mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/the-theater-of-operation-built-itself-in-tool-s-mind/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

[Explore all 140 Paolo Bacigalupi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

## More Crash quotes

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [I had no desire to crash a man's world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-lupino/i-had-no-desire-to-crash-a-man-s-world/)

[Ida Lupino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-lupino/)

> [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [And I always think of life like a giant wave. You know, it rises and it crests and it flies, and it's just magnificent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/and-i-always-think-of-life-like-a-giant-wave-you-know-it-rises-and-it/)

[Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/)

> [Consider developing your whole self with the same raw focus and intensity that you develop a particular skill set. Get focused. Go out, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/consider-developing-your-whole-self-with-the-same-raw-focus-and/)

[Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/)

> [It is moonlight. Alone in the silence I ascend my stairs once more, While waves remote in pale blue starlight Crash on a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/it-is-moonlight-alone-in-the-silence-i-ascend-my-stairs-once-more/)

[Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/)

> [“A shooting star, a cloud, or some sign from the Goddess…? One second later, the world shattered. Her father's grumbling voice was suddenly cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-shreffler/a-shooting-star-a-cloud-or-some-sign-from-the-goddess-one-second/)

[T.L. Shreffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-shreffler/)

> [But I am only human and I bleed when I fall down I am only human and I crash and I break down u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/human/but-i-am-only-human-and-i-bleed-when-i-fall-down-i-am-only-human-and/)

[Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/human/)

> [You put together two people who have not been put together before. Sometimes it is like that first attempt to harness a hydrogen balloon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-people-who-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [It's like when we get the transformer movies. It was all a bunch of smaller robot pieces and then you're on set, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-nicotero/it-s-like-when-we-get-the-transformer-movies-it-was-all-a-bunch-of/)

[Gregory Nicotero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-nicotero/)

> [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/)

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

> [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/)

[James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/)

> [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

[Browse all 836 Crash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crash/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paolo Bacigalupi"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirigible/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crash"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirigible/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/paolo-bacigalupi-3095_quote_certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirig_1830932.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Certainly I’m qualified to crash a dirigible.” — Paolo Bacigalupi",
                "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": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Certainly I’m qualified to crash a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirigible/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/certainly-i-m-qualified-to-crash-a-dirigible/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
