--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try to be the hammer. I try to be the…" description: "\"I try to be the hammer. I try to be the one doing the hitting, because if you're the guy sitting back waiting for the other guy to get to you, it's goi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg" --- # I try to be the hammer. I try to be the one doing the… ![“I try to be the hammer. I try to be the one doing the hitting, because if you're the guy sitting back waiting for the other guy to get to you, it's going to be trouble.” quote by Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg) > “I try to be the hammer. I try to be the one doing the hitting, because if you're the guy sitting back waiting for the other guy to get to you, it's going to be trouble.” [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taking active control prevents being victimized; waiting invites trouble. **In simple terms:** Act, don’t wait. Key Takeaway Be proactive, avoid passive danger. Themes leadership personal responsibility assertiveness Mood motivational direct Type self‑help leadership When to use this quote - team leadership - conflict resolution - personal development - emergency preparedness Key Concepts agency risk management Questions to Reflect On - When is it better to wait? - How do you balance action and patience? A Different Perspective Over‑assertiveness may cause conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Use a screwdriver instead of a hammer. Try to untighten the nut with your hand. Utilize the path of least resistance first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/use-a-screwdriver-instead-of-a-hammer-try-to-untighten-the-nut-with/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [Don't tell me that the rules prohibit you from hitting a guy up top. You have a whole target area above his knee up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-gonzalez/don-t-tell-me-that-the-rules-prohibit-you-from-hitting-a-guy-up-top/) [Tony Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-gonzalez/) > [“You can’t seriously expect me to fight you? I could kill you with one punch.”“If you managed to land it.”“I won’t hit a girl.”“Are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-langlais/you-can-t-seriously-expect-me-to-fight-you-i-could-kill-you-with-one/) [Eve Langlais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-langlais/) > [“I met my girlfriend at a bar. But I broke up with her because she was already there, hitting on another guy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-met-my-girlfriend-at-a-bar-but-i-broke-up-with-her-because-she-was/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [There are some matches where you lose a match just because you were always hitting at the guy, and he was always choosing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniil-medvedev/there-are-some-matches-where-you-lose-a-match-just-because-you-were/) [Daniil Medvedev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniil-medvedev/) > [And you will believe in love And all that it's supposed to be But just until the fish start to smell And you're struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/and-you-will-believe-in-love-and-all-that-it-s-supposed-to-be-but/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [As a technology, the book is like a hammer. That is to say, it is perfect: a tool ideally suited to its task. Hammers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/as-a-technology-the-book-is-like-a-hammer-that-is-to-say-it-is/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Give a small boy a hammer and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kaplan/give-a-small-boy-a-hammer-and-he-will-find-that-everything-he/) [Abraham Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kaplan/) > [“There are some who say that Time is itself a hammer; that each slow second marks another tap that makes big rocks into little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/there-are-some-who-say-that-time-is-itself-a-hammer-that-each-slow/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/art-is-not-a-mirror-held-up-to-reality-but-a-hammer-with-which-to/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-the-deliverator-puts-the-hammer-down-shit-happens/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [I believe that inside every tool is a hammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/i-believe-that-inside-every-tool-is-a-hammer/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [Fighting fire with fire is like trying to knock down a building with a hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hayward/fighting-fire-with-fire-is-like-trying-to-knock-down-a-building-with/) [Courtney Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hayward/) > [My first bit of gear was a Roland JV-1010 sound module. I used to hammer the hell out of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/my-first-bit-of-gear-was-a-roland-jv-1010-sound-module-i-used-to/) [Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/) > [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More by Ryan Clark > [I want the conversations I have with my homeboys to be brought to TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-want-the-conversations-i-have-with-my-homeboys-to-be-brought-to-tv/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [When you're inside of a building and you're representing an employer, which for me would be the Pittsburgh Steelers, I look at that as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/when-you-re-inside-of-a-building-and-you-re-representing-an-employer/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [Football players don't play to salvage things. We enjoy winning. That's what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/football-players-don-t-play-to-salvage-things-we-enjoy-winning-that-s/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [I realize through doing media and certain things and being around certain people that you have make a story, that you have to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-realize-through-doing-media-and-certain-things-and-being-around/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [My whole thing is getting to the ball as fast as I can to make a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/my-whole-thing-is-getting-to-the-ball-as-fast-as-i-can-to-make-a-play/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [Every fan hates you when you don't say something good about their team, so I can't win with them. But if the players rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/every-fan-hates-you-when-you-don-t-say-something-good-about-their/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [This is the thing people have to understand about NFL locker rooms: It's a lot of ornery veterans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/this-is-the-thing-people-have-to-understand-about-nfl-locker-rooms-it/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [I'm going to be honest: Connor McGregor's my favorite fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-m-going-to-be-honest-connor-mcgregor-s-my-favorite-fighter/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [There's a lot of veterans that don't really mingle with guys coming in playing their positions or guys they feel like haven't earned their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/there-s-a-lot-of-veterans-that-don-t-really-mingle-with-guys-coming/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [To be honest, I was a big Tom Jackson fan. Everybody watched 'NFL Primetime' and 'NFL Countdown,' and the dude was always so poised.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/to-be-honest-i-was-a-big-tom-jackson-fan-everybody-watched-nfl/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [When I decide I can't play the way I've always played, I'll stop playing football, period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/when-i-decide-i-can-t-play-the-way-i-ve-always-played-i-ll-stop/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [None of us are going out there like we want to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/none-of-us-are-going-out-there-like-we-want-to-lose/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [I want to be a reasonable man in an unreasonable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-want-to-be-a-reasonable-man-in-an-unreasonable-world/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [The way I play is not predicated on how far I can run and how fast I can get there. It's understanding the game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/the-way-i-play-is-not-predicated-on-how-far-i-can-run-and-how-fast-i/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [Here's the thing that I think is very interesting about RGIII. A lot of questions come up about what type of teammate he is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/here-s-the-thing-that-i-think-is-very-interesting-about-rgiii-a-lot/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) [Explore all 100 Ryan Clark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) ## More Back quotes > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/) [Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/) > [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/) [Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) Browse all 9,709 Back quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try to be the hammer. I try to be the one doing the hitting, because if you're the guy sitting back waiting for the other guy to get to you, it's going to be trouble.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan Clark" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-one-doing-the-hitting-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-one-doing-the-hitting-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/ryan-clark-6097_back_i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-o_1797183.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I try to be the hammer. I try to be the one doing the hitting, because if you're the guy sitting back…” — Ryan Clark", "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": "Ryan Clark", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I try to be the hammer....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-one-doing-the-hitting-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-try-to-be-the-hammer-i-try-to-be-the-one-doing-the-hitting-because/#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 } } ] } ```