--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It don't mean nothing til you sign it on…" description: "\"It don't mean nothing til you sign it on the dotted line.\" — Richard Marx" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg" --- # It don't mean nothing til you sign it on the dotted line. ![“It don't mean nothing til you sign it on the dotted line.” quote by Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg) > “It don't mean nothing til you sign it on the dotted line.” [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The line warns that words or promises are meaningless without formal commitment or action. **In simple terms:** Words need commitment to matter. Key Takeaway Ensure promises are backed by action. Themes commitment trust contracts integrity responsibility Mood serious cautious Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - relationships - transactions Key Concepts Legal binding personal promises business deals Questions to Reflect On - What steps guarantee a promise is kept? - How do you handle broken agreements? A Different Perspective Commitments may be broken despite signatures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [I can only sign on the dotted line after reading the script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amrita-rao/i-can-only-sign-on-the-dotted-line-after-reading-the-script/) [Amrita Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amrita-rao/) > [When you sign your name on the dotted line, it's more than just playing baseball. You have a responsibility to make good decisions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gwynn/when-you-sign-your-name-on-the-dotted-line-it-s-more-than-just/) [Tony Gwynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gwynn/) > [I will only sign on the dotted line if I feel my role is meaningful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/i-will-only-sign-on-the-dotted-line-if-i-feel-my-role-is-meaningful/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [“Delete anything that has to do with love, respect, or joy and I'll sign in the dotted line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/delete-anything-that-has-to-do-with-love-respect-or-joy-and-i-ll-sign/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [When you sign on the dotted line in any sport, your body's not going to be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/when-you-sign-on-the-dotted-line-in-any-sport-your-body-s-not-going/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [Let's face it, if you sign the dotted line, you're 'Dancing on Ice,' you've got to go with the glitter and the jazz hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-strachan/let-s-face-it-if-you-sign-the-dotted-line-you-re-dancing-on-ice-you/) [Michaela Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-strachan/) > [“If every t isn't crossed and every I isnt dotted ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/if-every-t-isn-t-crossed-and-every-i-isnt-dotted/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Only one thing counts in this life - get them to sign on the line that is dotted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/only-one-thing-counts-in-this-life-get-them-to-sign-on-the-line-that/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [When you look back at your own story, you may find out that not every 't' was crossed and every 'i' was dotted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/when-you-look-back-at-your-own-story-you-may-find-out-that-not-every/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [“Instruction would be wasted on me. Just to give me the form and I'll sign on the dotted line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/instruction-would-be-wasted-on-me-just-to-give-me-the-form-and-i-ll/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [There are offers, but I would sign the dotted line only when a project excites me enough to spare time for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shamna-kasim/there-are-offers-but-i-would-sign-the-dotted-line-only-when-a-project/) [Shamna Kasim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shamna-kasim/) > [“We signed on the dotted line for things we didn't know we cared about. We ate the things we shouldn't, spent money when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/we-signed-on-the-dotted-line-for-things-we-didn-t-know-we-cared-about/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [The blonde raced across the cookie package because the instructions said, Tear along dotted line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/the-blonde-raced-across-the-cookie-package-because-the-instructions/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Don't forget yourselves, we've made up our minds And we signed 3, 4, 5 on the dotted line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-day-to-remember/don-t-forget-yourselves-we-ve-made-up-our-minds-and-we-signed-3-4-5/) [A Day To Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-day-to-remember/) > [“The way to success is not a straight line segment. It's a dotted line with little packs of failure filling the potholes of broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-way-to-success-is-not-a-straight-line-segment-it-s-a-dotted-line/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) ## More by Richard Marx > [Doing my own album provided me the opportunity to say whatever I wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/doing-my-own-album-provided-me-the-opportunity-to-say-whatever-i/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I really didn't have any plans to record prior to doing My Own Best Enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-really-didn-t-have-any-plans-to-record-prior-to-doing-my-own-best/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [The only thing that's a little tricky about it is sometimes people assume that if it's a new song, it's a reflection of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/the-only-thing-that-s-a-little-tricky-about-it-is-sometimes-people/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I don't think I've ever laid out a batch of songs that pick myself apart the way that these do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-laid-out-a-batch-of-songs-that-pick-myself/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [It never ceases to amaze me that I get to do this for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/it-never-ceases-to-amaze-me-that-i-get-to-do-this-for-a-living/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I saw your smile and my mind could not erase the beauty of your face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-saw-your-smile-and-my-mind-could-not-erase-the-beauty-of-your-face/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I understand that, but this disc shows the type of music that I've always liked and wanted to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-understand-that-but-this-disc-shows-the-type-of-music-that-i-ve/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I'm happy, I would say that I'm one of the happiest people I know but I've certainly had periods of profound sadness, depression and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-m-happy-i-would-say-that-i-m-one-of-the-happiest-people-i-know-but/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [But more importantly, I think he remembered how very close I was with my own dad, who had died in 1997.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/but-more-importantly-i-think-he-remembered-how-very-close-i-was-with/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I'm now so keenly aware that I have everything to prove and nothing to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-m-now-so-keenly-aware-that-i-have-everything-to-prove-and-nothing/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [People take songs so literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/people-take-songs-so-literally/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I think I do better when things are a little tougher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-think-i-do-better-when-things-are-a-little-tougher/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I love when people get songs wrong. I love when people take something from a song that's totally not what I intended!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-love-when-people-get-songs-wrong-i-love-when-people-take-something/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [But once you have some success in one style, the business wants to lock you in that vein forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/but-once-you-have-some-success-in-one-style-the-business-wants-to/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [I can't wait to front my band with these new songs and play for fans, but I've decided to keep my day job too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-can-t-wait-to-front-my-band-with-these-new-songs-and-play-for-fans/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) [Explore all 38 Richard Marx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) ## More Expression quotes > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [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/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-looked-vaguely-homicidal-but-that-was-sort-of-his-default/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The mountain receives our expressions and becomes part of us; we imprint our memories upon it and trust it with out dearest divisions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barcott/the-mountain-receives-our-expressions-and-becomes-part-of-us-we/) [Bruce Barcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barcott/) > [In science, the most exciting expression isn’t ‘Eureka!’ It’s ‘Huh?’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hawley/in-science-the-most-exciting-expression-isn-t-eureka-it-s-huh/) Michael Hawley > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 5,024 Expression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It don't mean nothing til you sign it on the dotted line.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Marx" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on-the-dotted-line/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on-the-dotted-line/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/richard-marx-16976_expression_it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on_2952705.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It don't mean nothing til you sign it on the dotted line.” — Richard Marx", "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": "Richard Marx", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It don't mean nothing til you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on-the-dotted-line/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/it-don-t-mean-nothing-til-you-sign-it-on-the-dotted-line/#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 } } ] } ```