---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [when asked by his secretary if she…"
description: "\"[when asked by his secretary if she should destroy all files that were over ten years old] Yes, but keep copies.\" — Samuel Goldwyn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-goldwyn-3156_copies_when-asked-by-his-secretary-if-she-shoul_240016.jpg"
---

#  \[when asked by his secretary if she should destroy all…

![“[when asked by his secretary if she should destroy all files that were over ten years old] Yes, but keep copies.” quote by Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-goldwyn-3156_copies_when-asked-by-his-secretary-if-she-shoul_240016.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-goldwyn-3156_copies_when-asked-by-his-secretary-if-she-shoul_240016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-goldwyn-3156_copies_when-asked-by-his-secretary-if-she-shoul_240016.jpg)

> “\[when asked by his secretary if she should destroy all files that were over ten years old\] Yes, but keep copies.”

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He advises preserving important information even when discarding old files, emphasizing redundancy for critical data

**In simple terms:** Keep backups of essential records

Key Takeaway

Maintain backups for vital data

Themes

archiving data management risk mitigation

Mood

pragmatic cautious

Type

advice practical

When to use this quote

- legal compliance
- historical research
- corporate governance
- personal record keeping

Key Concepts

information theory redundancy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide which files are essential?
- What backup strategy balances safety and efficiency?

A Different Perspective

Over-reliance on backups can create storage bloat and security risks

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Asked Secretary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-secretary-1098644/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Destroy Files](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroy-files-2408735/) [Files Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/files-years-2408733/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Secretary Destroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secretary-destroy-2408734/) [Ten years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-years/) [Yes Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes-copies-1891059/)

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## More by Samuel Goldwyn

> [If I were in this business only for the business, I wouldn't be in this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-were-in-this-business-only-for-the-business-i-wouldn-t-be-in/)

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