--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can be in this business 50 years and…" description: "\"You can be in this business 50 years and still not know anything about it.\" — Sammy Davis, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png" --- # You can be in this business 50 years and still not know… ![“You can be in this business 50 years and still not know anything about it.” quote by Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png) > “You can be in this business 50 years and still not know anything about it.” [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Long tenure does not guarantee expertise; humility and continuous learning are essential. **In simple terms:** Experience ≠ knowledge. Key Takeaway Stay curious, keep learning. Themes career humility learning experience Mood motivational humble Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - career mentorship - skill acquisition - industry adaptation Key Concepts personal development expertise lifelong learning Questions to Reflect On - What do you still need to learn? - How can you stay updated? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind one to new information. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [50 Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/50-years/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business 50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-50-1596722/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-know/) ## Related quotes > [I've been in the deal-making business for almost 50 years now. I've made a lot of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-anschutz/i-ve-been-in-the-deal-making-business-for-almost-50-years-now-i-ve/) [Philip Anschutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-anschutz/) > [I've been the movie business for over 50 years, and I've done everything imaginable that could be done or ever was done by anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-morrissey/i-ve-been-the-movie-business-for-over-50-years-and-i-ve-done/) [Paul Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-morrissey/) > [I've studied golf for almost 50 years now and know a hell of a lot about nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-player/i-ve-studied-golf-for-almost-50-years-now-and-know-a-hell-of-a-lot/) [Gary Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-player/) > [I've been in show business for 50, no, 60 years. I was approached in school to join a variety act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-baker/i-ve-been-in-show-business-for-50-no-60-years-i-was-approached-in/) [Kenny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-baker/) > [I used to think business was 50 percent having the right people. Now I think it's 80 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-p-ryan/i-used-to-think-business-was-50-percent-having-the-right-people-now-i/) [Kevin P. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-p-ryan/) > [When something becomes a business, 50% of your decisions are what you have to do and not what you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-screwvala/when-something-becomes-a-business-50-of-your-decisions-are-what-you/) [Ronnie Screwvala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-screwvala/) > [To be put down in this world, and given only eighty years to get to know it in, is like being let loose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/to-be-put-down-in-this-world-and-given-only-eighty-years-to-get-to/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [The years up to the age of 40 are Capricorn's apprenticeship years, when you get to know love. Life. Letters. The world. After that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saeed-jaffrey/the-years-up-to-the-age-of-40-are-capricorn-s-apprenticeship-years/) [Saeed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saeed-jaffrey/) > [O spring, I know thee! Seek for sweet surprise / In the young children's eyes. / But I have learnt the years, and know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/o-spring-i-know-thee-seek-for-sweet-surprise-in-the-young-children-s/) [Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/) > [Don't count your years for we all know you're one year older than last year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-count-your-years-for-we-all-know-you-re-one-year-older-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been in this sport only four years, and I know that I'll keep learning and improving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ngannou/i-ve-been-in-this-sport-only-four-years-and-i-know-that-i-ll-keep/) [Francis Ngannou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ngannou/) > [The Right has been trying to take down Bill Clinton for 20 years. I know; I was there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brock/the-right-has-been-trying-to-take-down-bill-clinton-for-20-years-i/) [David Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brock/) > [I realize that for many New Yorkers, this is the first time you've heard my name, and you don't know much about me. Over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/i-realize-that-for-many-new-yorkers-this-is-the-first-time-you-ve/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [Sometimes over the years, you know, things come to surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/sometimes-over-the-years-you-know-things-come-to-surface/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [“I know him, that man walking- toward me up the crowded street of the city, I have lived with him seven years now, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-browne/i-know-him-that-man-walking-toward-me-up-the-crowded-street-of-the/) [Susan Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-browne/) ## More by Sammy Davis, Jr > [After I decided to become a Jew, only then did I learn that the Jews don't have all the money. When I found out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/after-i-decided-to-become-a-jew-only-then-did-i-learn-that-the-jews/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [Alcohol gives you infinite patience for stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/alcohol-gives-you-infinite-patience-for-stupidity/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [I don't have many easy songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/i-don-t-have-many-easy-songs/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [My home has always been show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/my-home-has-always-been-show-business/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [Everything Michael Jackson does on stage is exactly right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/everything-michael-jackson-does-on-stage-is-exactly-right/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [There's nothing that can match Broadway for stature and dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-s-nothing-that-can-match-broadway-for-stature-and-dignity/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [Being in public with May and the children was too heavy. I was irreversibly tuned in to everyone around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/being-in-public-with-may-and-the-children-was-too-heavy-i-was/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > ["The Entertainer" He did it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/the-entertainer-he-did-it-all/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [Most orgies that you go to, I have found, most of it is sad. All that wildness, all those laughs were like the shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/most-orgies-that-you-go-to-i-have-found-most-of-it-is-sad-all-that/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [During three decades, along all the highways of my youth, Frank had always been there for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/during-three-decades-along-all-the-highways-of-my-youth-frank-had/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [There are certain romances that belong in certain cities, in a certain atmosphere, in a certain time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-are-certain-romances-that-belong-in-certain-cities-in-a-certain/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [Reality is never as bad as a nightmare, as the mental tortures we inflict on ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/reality-is-never-as-bad-as-a-nightmare-as-the-mental-tortures-we/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [I hadn't been in Vegas 20 minutes when I got word that the bookmakers were offering three to one that Frank wouldn't show for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/i-hadn-t-been-in-vegas-20-minutes-when-i-got-word-that-the-bookmakers/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [Once I get outside my house in the morning, I'm on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/once-i-get-outside-my-house-in-the-morning-i-m-on/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) > [I'd learned a lot in the Army. I knew that above all things in the world I had to become so big, so strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/i-d-learned-a-lot-in-the-army-i-knew-that-above-all-things-in-the/) [Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) [Explore all 70 Sammy Davis, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can be in this business 50 years and still not know anything about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sammy Davis, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and-still-not-know-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and-still-not-know-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/477/sammy-davis-jr-9783_business_you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and_1749850.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can be in this business 50 years and still not know anything about it.” — Sammy Davis, Jr", "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": "Sammy Davis, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can be in this business...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and-still-not-know-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/you-can-be-in-this-business-50-years-and-still-not-know-anything/#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 } } ] } ```