--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you write, fix pipes, grade papers…" description: "\"If you write, fix pipes, grade papers, lay bricks or drive a taxi - do it with a sense of pride. And do it the best you know how. Be cognizant and symp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png" --- # If you write, fix pipes, grade papers, lay bricks or drive… ![“If you write, fix pipes, grade papers, lay bricks or drive a taxi - do it with a sense of pride. And do it the best you know how. Be cognizant and sympathetic to the guy alongside, because he wants a place in the sun, too. And always...always look past his color, his creed, his religion and the…” quote by Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png) > “If you write, fix pipes, grade papers, lay bricks or drive a taxi - do it with a sense of pride. And do it the best you know how. Be cognizant and sympathetic to the guy alongside, because he wants a place in the sun, too. And always...always look past his color, his creed, his religion and the shape of his ears. Look for the whole person. Judge him as the whole person.” [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourage pride and excellence in any work, while seeing beyond superficial differences to recognize each person’s full humanity. **In simple terms:** Do your job well and see people as whole beings. Key Takeaway Treat work as a chance to honor yourself and others. Themes pride empathy inclusion Mood inspirational thoughtful Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - everyday jobs - customer service - team collaboration - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts human dignity work ethic social perception Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster respect for all coworkers? - What biases might you hold about others? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic inequality that limits opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bricks/) [Cognizant Sympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognizant-sympathetic-3204280/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Creeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) [Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ears/) [Grades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grades/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Guy Alongside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy-alongside-3204279/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Look Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-person/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Pipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pipe/) [Place Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place-sun-251637/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Sympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathetic/) [Sympathetic Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathetic-guy-425727/) [Taxi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxi/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a sympathetic guy when I see people throwing their lives away and using their life's obstacles as excuses to fail. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/i-m-not-a-sympathetic-guy-when-i-see-people-throwing-their-lives-away/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [A cat cares for you only as a source of food, security and a place in the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/a-cat-cares-for-you-only-as-a-source-of-food-security-and-a-place-in/) [Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/) > [“We went to school in a place without the sun,and believed this means we had no need of our shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamila-shamsie/we-went-to-school-in-a-place-without-the-sun-and-believed-this-means/) [Kamila Shamsie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamila-shamsie/) > [“Nothing else can take a cloud's place but the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-winter/nothing-else-can-take-a-cloud-s-place-but-the-sun/) [Serena Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-winter/) > [A hobby is the result of a distorted view of things. It is putting a planet in the place of a sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/a-hobby-is-the-result-of-a-distorted-view-of-things-it-is-putting-a/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [Germany must have her place in the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-ii/germany-must-have-her-place-in-the-sun/) [Wilhelm II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-ii/) > [India's place in the sun would come from the partnership between wisdom of its rural people and skill of its professionals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/india-s-place-in-the-sun-would-come-from-the-partnership-between/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I don't necessarily buy any key to the future of happiness, but I need a little place in the sun sometimes or I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-griffin/i-don-t-necessarily-buy-any-key-to-the-future-of-happiness-but-i-need/) [Patty Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-griffin/) > [If you want a place in the sun, you have to put up with a few blisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-roldan/if-you-want-a-place-in-the-sun-you-have-to-put-up-with-a-few-blisters/) [Jerome Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-roldan/) > [“It was not a jolly place at all for a sun-loving soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/it-was-not-a-jolly-place-at-all-for-a-sun-loving-soul/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [If you want a place in the sun, you have got to put up with a few blisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-a-place-in-the-sun-you-have-got-to-put-up-with-a-few/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No matter where you go, there is always a place for you under the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/no-matter-where-you-go-there-is-always-a-place-for-you-under-the-sun/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [“A place in the sun, that's what I am aiming for... and who could ever ask for more?' -Columbine to Pierrot”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/a-place-in-the-sun-that-s-what-i-am-aiming-for-and-who-could-ever-ask/) [Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/) > [If you want a place in the sun, you have to expect a few blisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-young/if-you-want-a-place-in-the-sun-you-have-to-expect-a-few-blisters/) [Loretta Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-young/) > [Like fanning through a deck of cards, my mind flashes on the thousand chances, trivial to profound, that converged to re-create this place. Any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/like-fanning-through-a-deck-of-cards-my-mind-flashes-on-the-thousand/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) ## More by Rod Serling > [If you want to prove that God is not dead first prove that man is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-want-to-prove-that-god-is-not-dead-first-prove-that-man-is/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/there-is-nothing-in-the-dark-that-isn-t-there-when-the-lights-are-on/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [There are weapons that are simply thoughts. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/there-are-weapons-that-are-simply-thoughts-for-the-record-prejudices/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I don't believe in reincarnation. That's a cop-out, I know. I don't really want to be reincarnated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-believe-in-reincarnation-that-s-a-cop-out-i-know-i-don-t/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I was deeply interested in conveying what is a deeply felt conviction of my own. This is simply to suggest that human beings must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-was-deeply-interested-in-conveying-what-is-a-deeply-felt-conviction/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [If in any quest for magic, in any search for sorcery, witchery, legerdemain, first check the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-in-any-quest-for-magic-in-any-search-for-sorcery-witchery/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/any-state-any-entity-any-ideology-that-fails-to-recognize-the-worth/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/it-may-be-said-with-a-degree-of-assurance-that-not-everything-that/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I don't know what my friends do. Generally they become producers. That way they can stop writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-know-what-my-friends-do-generally-they-become-producers-that/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I just want people to remember me a hundred years from now. I don't care that they're not able to quote any single line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-just-want-people-to-remember-me-a-hundred-years-from-now-i-don-t/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [According to the Bible, God created the heavens and the Earth. It is man’s prerogative - and woman’s - to create their own particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/according-to-the-bible-god-created-the-heavens-and-the-earth-it-is/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [“In his grave, we praise him for his decency - but when he walked amongst us, we responded with no decency of our own.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/in-his-grave-we-praise-him-for-his-decency-but-when-he-walked-amongst/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [If you're really a good writer and deserve that honored position, then by God, you'll write, and you'll be read, and you'll be produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-re-really-a-good-writer-and-deserve-that-honored-position-then/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I would guess that the price of the script really is secondary. The credit is much more the essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-would-guess-that-the-price-of-the-script-really-is-secondary-the/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I don't think it's man's function to write. I don't think it's a normal thing like teeth-brushing and going to the bathroom. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-think-it-s-man-s-function-to-write-i-don-t-think-it-s-a/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) [Explore all 156 Rod Serling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) ## More Bricks quotes > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [That city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-city-is-well-fortified-which-has-a-wall-of-men-instead-of-brick/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LEGO is universal. So many people enjoy it, from all different walks of life, all different ages, all different cultures. When I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/lego-is-universal-so-many-people-enjoy-it-from-all-different-walks-of/) [Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/) > [Even if you tried to extinguish your personality, what is left in the story will reflect it, perhaps by its negation. Our lives provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/even-if-you-tried-to-extinguish-your-personality-what-is-left-in-the/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I am the enfant terrible of literature and science. If I cannot, and I know I cannot, get the literary and scientific bigwigs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/i-am-the-enfant-terrible-of-literature-and-science-if-i-cannot-and-i/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) > [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/) [Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/) > [“Savannah gray bricks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/savannah-gray-bricks/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [I still have the desire to do the job of acting. It's just a matter of whether I'll be allowed to do the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-coleman/i-still-have-the-desire-to-do-the-job-of-acting-it-s-just-a-matter-of/) [Gary Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-coleman/) > [Rebuilding a network is a slow, brick-by-brick process. It's not just creating a hit show - it's building shows to back up that hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/rebuilding-a-network-is-a-slow-brick-by-brick-process-it-s-not-just/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [Build your life brick upon brick, Live a life of truth, And you will look back on a life of truth. Live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/build-your-life-brick-upon-brick-live-a-life-of-truth-and-you-will/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“As an employee, you’re not supposed to say the bricks come from modern day Iran or modern day Turkey. No, they come from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-hill-jr/as-an-employee-you-re-not-supposed-to-say-the-bricks-come-from-modern/) [David A. Hill Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-hill-jr/) > [“Two bricks, parallel and horizontal, equals an equal sign. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/two-bricks-parallel-and-horizontal-equals-an-equal-sign/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Didn’t every new thing you did become a part of you, one of your bricks?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/didn-t-every-new-thing-you-did-become-a-part-of-you-one-of-your-bricks/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) [Browse all 587 Bricks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bricks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you write, fix pipes, grade papers, lay bricks or drive a taxi - do it with a sense of pride. And do it the best you know how. Be cognizant and sympathetic to the guy alongside, because he wants a place in the sun, too. And always...always look past his color, his creed, his religion and the shape of his ears. Look for the whole person. Judge him as the whole person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rod Serling" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay-bricks-or-drive-a-taxi-do-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bricks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay-bricks-or-drive-a-taxi-do-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/rod-serling-2652_bricks_if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay_2765821.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you write, fix pipes, grade papers, lay bricks or drive a taxi - do it with a sense of pride. And do it…” — Rod Serling", "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": "Rod Serling", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you write, fix pipes, grade...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay-bricks-or-drive-a-taxi-do-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/if-you-write-fix-pipes-grade-papers-lay-bricks-or-drive-a-taxi-do-it/#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 } } ] } ```