--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 15, I left school to start a…" description: "\"When I was 15, I left school to start a magazine, and it became a success because I wouldn't take no for an answer. I remember banging on James Baldwin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/richard-branson-256_answers_when-i-was-15-i-left-school-to-start-a-m_2471335.jpg" --- # When I was 15, I left school to start a magazine, and it… ![“When I was 15, I left school to start a magazine, and it became a success because I wouldn't take no for an answer. I remember banging on James Baldwin's door to ask for an interview when he came to England. Then I got Jean-Paul Sartre's home phone number and asked him to contribute. If I'd been…” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/richard-branson-256_answers_when-i-was-15-i-left-school-to-start-a-m_2471335.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/richard-branson-256_answers_when-i-was-15-i-left-school-to-start-a-m_2471335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/richard-branson-256_answers_when-i-was-15-i-left-school-to-start-a-m_2471335.jpg) > “When I was 15, I left school to start a magazine, and it became a success because I wouldn't take no for an answer. I remember banging on James Baldwin's door to ask for an interview when he came to England. Then I got Jean-Paul Sartre's home phone number and asked him to contribute. If I'd been 30, he might have said no, but I was a 15-year-old with passion and he was charmed. Making money was always just a side product of having a good time and creating things nobody'd seen before.” [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Persistence and bold outreach can turn youthful ambition into success, turning passion into opportunity. **In simple terms:** Youthful drive and daring outreach create success. Key Takeaway Be bold, reach out, and let passion guide you. Themes entrepreneurship confidence networking creativity risk-taking Mood determined optimistic energetic Type motivational inspirational practical When to use this quote - starting a business - seeking mentorship - pitching ideas - overcoming rejection Key Concepts self‑efficacy social capital innovation Questions to Reflect On - What bold step can you take today? - How can you turn passion into tangible results? A Different Perspective Youth may lack experience, leading to missteps despite enthusiasm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [15 Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/15-year/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Banging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banging/) [Charmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charmed/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Creating things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating-things/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Good times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-times/) [Having a good time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-a-good-time/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Jean-paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jean-paul-sartre/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Magazine Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazine-success-764710/) [Magazines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazines/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Paul sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul-sartre/) [Phone number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-number/) [Phone numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-numbers/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Start Magazine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-magazine-764711/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. 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But I am a hermit sometimes and get a bit too introverted, too 'Jean-Paul Sartre'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-peck/i-do-hang-out-with-girls-i-do-relax-but-i-am-a-hermit-sometimes-and/) [Josh Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-peck/) > [“In this version, scholars like Otto Rank, Viktor Frankl, and Rollo May—not to mention philosophically oriented social activists like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-j-finkel/in-this-version-scholars-like-otto-rank-viktor-frankl-and-rollo-may/) [Eli J. Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-j-finkel/) > [“As an intense, nicotine-stained, Jean-Paul Sartre sort of man, wasn't it simple logic to expect that he'd be limited to intense, nicotine-stained Jean-Paul Sartre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/as-an-intense-nicotine-stained-jean-paul-sartre-sort-of-man-wasn-t-it/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“This happened not once, but twice — first with Martin Heidegger's magnum opus, Being and Time, and then with his pupil Jean-Paul Sartre's Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-panza/this-happened-not-once-but-twice-first-with-martin-heidegger-s-magnum/) [Christopher Panza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-panza/) > [“One cannot become a saint when one works sixteen hours a day.” JEAN-PAUL SARTRE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-crain/one-cannot-become-a-saint-when-one-works-sixteen-hours-a-day-jean/) [Zac Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-crain/) > [“T. S. Eliot and Jean-Paul Sartre, dissimilar enough as thinkers, both tend to undervalue prose and to deny it any imaginative function. Poetry is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/t-s-eliot-and-jean-paul-sartre-dissimilar-enough-as-thinkers-both/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Jean-Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosopher who celebrated the anguish of decision as a hallmark of responsibility, has no place in Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/jean-paul-sartre-the-existentialist-philosopher-who-celebrated-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [“To do is to be – Aristotle To be or not to be – Shakespeare To be is to do – Jean-Paul Sartre Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alannah-foley/to-do-is-to-be-aristotle-to-be-or-not-to-be-shakespeare-to-be-is-to/) [Alannah Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alannah-foley/) > [“as Jean-Paul Sartre put it, “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” What”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eula-biss/as-jean-paul-sartre-put-it-freedom-is-what-you-do-with-what-s-been/) [Eula Biss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eula-biss/) > [“To be is to do’ — Socrates. ‘To do is to be’ — Jean-Paul Sartre. ‘Do be do be do’ — Frank Sinatra.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/to-be-is-to-do-socrates-to-do-is-to-be-jean-paul-sartre-do-be-do-be/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I am not fond of the word psychological. There is no such thing as the psychological. Let us say that one can improve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing-2/i-am-not-fond-of-the-word-psychological-there-is-no-such-thing-as-the/) [R.D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing-2/) ## More by Richard Branson > [Lavish praise on people and people will flourish; criticize people and they'll shrivel up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/lavish-praise-on-people-and-people-will-flourish-criticize-people-and/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Fantasizing about the future is one of my favorite pastimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/fantasizing-about-the-future-is-one-of-my-favorite-pastimes/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I will work day and night to avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll pick myself up the next day. The most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-will-work-day-and-night-to-avoid-failure-but-if-i-can-t-i-ll-pick/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Tough times are inevitable in life and in business. But how you compose yourself during those times defines your spirit and will define your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/tough-times-are-inevitable-in-life-and-in-business-but-how-you/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [All successful people - not just entrepreneurs - have got things wrong over and over again before finding the right solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/all-successful-people-not-just-entrepreneurs-have-got-things-wrong/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [We have the enormous opportunity in our hands to make a positive difference for business, people, and the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/we-have-the-enormous-opportunity-in-our-hands-to-make-a-positive/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I'm a great believer in life to saying yes and not saying no, and hopefully making people smile and just having fun in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-m-a-great-believer-in-life-to-saying-yes-and-not-saying-no-and/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Money is a poor indicator of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/money-is-a-poor-indicator-of-success/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Business leaders take things far too seriously, and forget that most of the time people spend in their lives is at work, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/business-leaders-take-things-far-too-seriously-and-forget-that-most/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I love the freedom of movement that my phone gives me. That has definitely transformed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-love-the-freedom-of-movement-that-my-phone-gives-me-that-has/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Everything in your business can be outsourced... if you're not emotionally attached to doing it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/everything-in-your-business-can-be-outsourced-if-you-re-not/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [People have to decide on priorities if they want to get anywhere. The best lessons I learned was to just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/people-have-to-decide-on-priorities-if-they-want-to-get-anywhere-the/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [There isn't a flight goes by when I don't stare out of the window and thank my stars for what I'm seeing and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/there-isn-t-a-flight-goes-by-when-i-don-t-stare-out-of-the-window-and/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) [Explore all 805 Richard Branson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) ## More Answers 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/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 15, I left school to start a magazine, and it became a success because I wouldn't take no for an answer. 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