--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time…" description: "\"When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from dancing, and I needed a job just to pay the bills, and I ended up as a receptionist for about th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png" --- # When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from… ![“When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from dancing, and I needed a job just to pay the bills, and I ended up as a receptionist for about three-four years.” quote by Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png) > “When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from dancing, and I needed a job just to pay the bills, and I ended up as a receptionist for about three-four years.” [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An injury forced a career change, leading to a modest job that sustained basic needs. **In simple terms:** Injury led to a new, practical job. Key Takeaway Adapt to circumstances and find stability. Themes career change resilience practicality Mood reflective pragmatic Type career life lesson When to use this quote - job transition - financial necessity Key Concepts employment injury recovery Questions to Reflect On - What skills can you transfer to new roles? - How do you find meaning in routine work? A Different Perspective May limit personal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Along the way, I've worked as a waitress, I've done phone surveys, and worked as a receptionist, and for the last twenty years I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/along-the-way-i-ve-worked-as-a-waitress-i-ve-done-phone-surveys-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“I sat there and my love to him poured out more and more, and, lo, he flew down to a stump, and then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-grinstead-anderson/i-sat-there-and-my-love-to-him-poured-out-more-and-more-and-lo-he/) Agnes Grinstead Anderson > [“As I looked at him I knew he meant what he said. He casually took his revolver out of its holster and rested it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/small-crimes-dave-zeltserman/as-i-looked-at-him-i-knew-he-meant-what-he-said-he-casually-took-his/) Small Crimes Dave Zeltserman > [I hurt my knee, and that messed up my running, and boy did that ever just have a cascade effect. I've gained about thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-hurt-my-knee-and-that-messed-up-my-running-and-boy-did-that-ever/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [If you hurt your knee, honestly, I'd rather have the federal government focused on North Korea, focused on other things than your knee, OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-hurt-your-knee-honestly-i-d-rather-have-the-federal-government/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Once while sliding under a table, I hurt my knee badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pranitha-subhash/once-while-sliding-under-a-table-i-hurt-my-knee-badly/) [Pranitha Subhash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pranitha-subhash/) > [“If you hurt your knee, you wouldn’t wait until you couldn’t walk before seeking help. You’d ice the joint, elevate it, skip your workouts—and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-klebold/if-you-hurt-your-knee-you-wouldn-t-wait-until-you-couldn-t-walk/) [Sue Klebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-klebold/) > [Take your risks now; as you become older, you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally. I hurt my knee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/take-your-risks-now-as-you-become-older-you-become-more-fearful-and/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [After I hurt the knee, football wasn't nearly as much fun. I was limited. But you make do with what you have. I adjusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-namath/after-i-hurt-the-knee-football-wasn-t-nearly-as-much-fun-i-was/) [Joe Namath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-namath/) > [I was playing college football, and I hurt my knee very badly my senior year, and I didn't want to get a real job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/i-was-playing-college-football-and-i-hurt-my-knee-very-badly-my/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [How I hurt my knee was doing something so minimal that it was a little worrisome. To try that motion and others again, after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-zingano/how-i-hurt-my-knee-was-doing-something-so-minimal-that-it-was-a/) [Cat Zingano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-zingano/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) ## More by Phyllis Smith > [I'm generally pretty happy about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-m-generally-pretty-happy-about-life/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I don't really think about being pigeonholed so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-don-t-really-think-about-being-pigeonholed-so-much/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [Everybody involved in Pixar, I've not met one person who's not incredibly creative and nice and lovely and know what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/everybody-involved-in-pixar-i-ve-not-met-one-person-who-s-not/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [It was only after I'd had some injuries that I basically retired from the performing side of show business and then began working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/it-was-only-after-i-d-had-some-injuries-that-i-basically-retired-from/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [IMDB's not the most accurate. Even my birth place and my age are wrong there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/imdb-s-not-the-most-accurate-even-my-birth-place-and-my-age-are-wrong/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [Just go for it. Don't be afraid of trying new things. You have absolutely no idea what's going to present itself to you. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/just-go-for-it-don-t-be-afraid-of-trying-new-things-you-have/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I once prayed when struggling financially and worried how I was going to be able to assist my parents in their latter years living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-once-prayed-when-struggling-financially-and-worried-how-i-was-going/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I didn't want Sadness to be just one note.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-didn-t-want-sadness-to-be-just-one-note/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I know how difficult it is to get one job, much less an entirely new career. I'm very blessed and grateful. It's like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-know-how-difficult-it-is-to-get-one-job-much-less-an-entirely-new/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I just wanted Sadness to be true, to come from a real place. I tried to work from the inside out, going from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-just-wanted-sadness-to-be-true-to-come-from-a-real-place-i-tried-to/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [To be in a Pixar movie is just great to begin with, and it has afforded me the opportunity to do a different medium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/to-be-in-a-pixar-movie-is-just-great-to-begin-with-and-it-has/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I'm just a normal person, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-m-just-a-normal-person-believe-me/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [Even before 'The OA,' I was a very spiritual person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/even-before-the-oa-i-was-a-very-spiritual-person/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I feel like I'm an ordinary person, but I've had extraordinary opportunities in my later life, and I never saw any of it coming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-feel-like-i-m-an-ordinary-person-but-i-ve-had-extraordinary/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I wish I had paid more attention in my psych class in college. I would've had a broader vocabulary to draw from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-wish-i-had-paid-more-attention-in-my-psych-class-in-college-i-would/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) [Explore all 59 Phyllis Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) ## More Dancing quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/to-chase-the-glowing-hours-with-flying-feet/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [“...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you-pain-is-a-bit-like-trying-to/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [I'm very smart when it comes to choosing dancers and trying to show the world that there's a whole lot of dancing going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/i-m-very-smart-when-it-comes-to-choosing-dancers-and-trying-to-show/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [“What do you think of the ball?” her companion asked. “It is lovely,” Cinderella said. “What do you enjoy most? The dancing?” “The food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-shea/what-do-you-think-of-the-ball-her-companion-asked-it-is-lovely/) [K.M. Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-shea/) > [Do you know what it is sir? Do you know what the Dance Dance Revolution is? It's not an actual revolution, so you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-peters/do-you-know-what-it-is-sir-do-you-know-what-the-dance-dance/) [Russell Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-peters/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A real flame of love is a subtle thing. It burns as a will-o'-the-wisp, dancing onward to fairy lands of delight. It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/) [Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/) > [There's no thinking involved in my choreography... I don't work through images or ideas. I work through the body... If the dancer dances, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merce-cunningham/there-s-no-thinking-involved-in-my-choreography-i-don-t-work-through/) [Merce Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merce-cunningham/) > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [I have been passionate about dancing and acting as long as I I can remember. It was a natural progression to make it my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishaan-khatter/i-have-been-passionate-about-dancing-and-acting-as-long-as-i-i-can/) [Ishaan Khatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishaan-khatter/) [Browse all 3,507 Dancing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from dancing, and I needed a job just to pay the bills, and I ended up as a receptionist for about three-four years.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phyllis Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-to-retire-from-dancing-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dancing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-to-retire-from-dancing-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/phyllis-smith-11568_dancing_when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-t_843979.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from dancing, and I needed a job just to pay the bills…” — Phyllis Smith", "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": "Phyllis Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I hurt my knee, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-to-retire-from-dancing-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-to-retire-from-dancing-and-i/#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 } } ] } ```