--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For three months, when I was 23 years…" description: "\"For three months, when I was 23 years old, I worked as a clerk at Wandsworth Sewer.\" — Sandi Toksvig" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg" --- # For three months, when I was 23 years old, I worked as a… ![“For three months, when I was 23 years old, I worked as a clerk at Wandsworth Sewer.” quote by Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg) > “For three months, when I was 23 years old, I worked as a clerk at Wandsworth Sewer.” [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A brief, self‑deprecating anecdote highlighting a modest early job that contrasts with later fame. **In simple terms:** Early work can be humble. Key Takeaway Even famous people start with ordinary jobs. Themes humility career trajectory self‑deprecation social class personal growth Mood wry lighthearted reflective Type anecdote humorous quote When to use this quote - career retrospection - humor in interviews - biographical storytelling - public speaking - media profiles Key Concepts identity social mobility Practical Applications - illustrating relatability - adding levity to a narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does early work shape later confidence? - What value does humor add to personal histories? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clerk/) ## Related quotes > [When I was a kid, I worked as a clerk at my parent's motel. From when I was eight or nine, I rented rooms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/when-i-was-a-kid-i-worked-as-a-clerk-at-my-parent-s-motel-from-when-i/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [You can be president of the United States and have the best, most bipartisan-seeming idea in the world. But if it doesn't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/you-can-be-president-of-the-united-states-and-have-the-best-most/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [An actor has no more right to be temperamental than a bank clerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredric-march/an-actor-has-no-more-right-to-be-temperamental-than-a-bank-clerk/) [Fredric March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredric-march/) > [“into the very room where Little Dorrit had slumbered after her party, to sign the Marriage Register. And there, Mr Pancks, (destined to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/into-the-very-room-where-little-dorrit-had-slumbered-after-her-party/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Let us suppose you become a craneman. Suppose you become a clerk in a lawyer's office. Give the best that is in you. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schwab/let-us-suppose-you-become-a-craneman-suppose-you-become-a-clerk-in-a/) [Charles M. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schwab/) > [When I was 18, I went into the army as a payroll clerk because otherwise I was headed for Korea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bream/when-i-was-18-i-went-into-the-army-as-a-payroll-clerk-because/) [Julian Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bream/) > [“Who gets the change?" the clerk asked. "You or...your fella?" Oh, he's not my boyfriend," I said. "He's my mother.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/who-gets-the-change-the-clerk-asked-you-or-your-fella-oh-he-s-not-my/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I did quite a lot of menial jobs. I was a waiter, an inventory clerk touring round properties listing cups and saucers, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/i-did-quite-a-lot-of-menial-jobs-i-was-a-waiter-an-inventory-clerk/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [The doctor who applied a stethoscope to my heart was not satisfied. I was told to get my papers with the clerk in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/the-doctor-who-applied-a-stethoscope-to-my-heart-was-not-satisfied-i/) [C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/) > [A salesman minus enthusiasm is just a clerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-f-banks/a-salesman-minus-enthusiasm-is-just-a-clerk/) [Harry F Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-f-banks/) > [I've been a paperboy, a short-order cook, a warehouse clerk, and, eventually, a partner at IBM.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-tillis/i-ve-been-a-paperboy-a-short-order-cook-a-warehouse-clerk-and/) [Thom Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-tillis/) > [When I was in college my girl got me a job at the doctor's office she was working at. I was a file clerk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole-2/when-i-was-in-college-my-girl-got-me-a-job-at-the-doctor-s-office-she/) [J. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole-2/) > [Caesar's double-bed is warm As an unimportant clerk Writes i do not like my work On a pink official form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/caesar-s-double-bed-is-warm-as-an-unimportant-clerk-writes-i-do-not/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [“For sondry scoles maken sotile clerkis; Womman of manye scoles half a clerk is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/for-sondry-scoles-maken-sotile-clerkis-womman-of-manye-scoles-half-a/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) > [I didn't finish high school - left home when I was 15. I moved away to Fresno and worked as a grocery clerk. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-finish-high-school-left-home-when-i-was-15-i-moved-away-to/) [Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/) ## More by Sandi Toksvig > [The number one thing in my whole life is my children, and I want to be there for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/the-number-one-thing-in-my-whole-life-is-my-children-and-i-want-to-be/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [When people say, 'There aren't enough women on panel shows,' the answer is to make the host a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/when-people-say-there-aren-t-enough-women-on-panel-shows-the-answer/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I always wanted to open a delicatessen in Jerusalem and call it 'Cheeses of Nazareth'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-always-wanted-to-open-a-delicatessen-in-jerusalem-and-call-it/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I'm trying to get my kids - in particular, my step-daughter Mary, who's 12 - to recommend music to me. You reach a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-m-trying-to-get-my-kids-in-particular-my-step-daughter-mary-who-s/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I can't live without Radio 4. It's worth the entire licence fee. I'm an obsessive listener; I get up, and Radio 4 goes on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-can-t-live-without-radio-4-it-s-worth-the-entire-licence-fee-i-m-an/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I decided that instead of making jokes about politics, I need to take part in it, and therefore, I can't make jokes and participate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-decided-that-instead-of-making-jokes-about-politics-i-need-to-take/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I cannot lie on the beach or by a swimming pool. I think I'm too Nordic to like a lot of relentless sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-cannot-lie-on-the-beach-or-by-a-swimming-pool-i-think-i-m-too/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I will try anything that doesn't involve a leotard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-will-try-anything-that-doesn-t-involve-a-leotard/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [At my worst, I was a size 22, and at that size, you can't go down the high street and buy yourself things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/at-my-worst-i-was-a-size-22-and-at-that-size-you-can-t-go-down-the/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [People say, 'When did you decide you were gay?' and you think, 'When did you decide you were heterosexual?' It's not a decision: it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/people-say-when-did-you-decide-you-were-gay-and-you-think-when-did/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I was born gay, OK? I've always known. I don't think my family were the least bit surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-was-born-gay-ok-i-ve-always-known-i-don-t-think-my-family-were-the/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I have a son and two daughters, and I care equally about all three of them, and I want the world to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-have-a-son-and-two-daughters-and-i-care-equally-about-all-three-of/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [I'd love to be a joiner or a wood turner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/i-d-love-to-be-a-joiner-or-a-wood-turner/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [Us Danes have amazing pastries, but we're not a fat nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/us-danes-have-amazing-pastries-but-we-re-not-a-fat-nation/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [What I think is if the world is in some difficulty - about climate change, about economics - then we had better make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/what-i-think-is-if-the-world-is-in-some-difficulty-about-climate/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) [Explore all 109 Sandi Toksvig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) ## More Clerk quotes > [I didn't finish high school - left home when I was 15. I moved away to Fresno and worked as a grocery clerk. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-finish-high-school-left-home-when-i-was-15-i-moved-away-to/) [Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/) > [“For sondry scoles maken sotile clerkis; Womman of manye scoles half a clerk is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/for-sondry-scoles-maken-sotile-clerkis-womman-of-manye-scoles-half-a/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) > [Caesar's double-bed is warm As an unimportant clerk Writes i do not like my work On a pink official form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/caesar-s-double-bed-is-warm-as-an-unimportant-clerk-writes-i-do-not/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [When I was in college my girl got me a job at the doctor's office she was working at. I was a file clerk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole-2/when-i-was-in-college-my-girl-got-me-a-job-at-the-doctor-s-office-she/) [J. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole-2/) > [I've been a paperboy, a short-order cook, a warehouse clerk, and, eventually, a partner at IBM.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-tillis/i-ve-been-a-paperboy-a-short-order-cook-a-warehouse-clerk-and/) [Thom Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-tillis/) > [A salesman minus enthusiasm is just a clerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-f-banks/a-salesman-minus-enthusiasm-is-just-a-clerk/) [Harry F Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-f-banks/) > [The doctor who applied a stethoscope to my heart was not satisfied. I was told to get my papers with the clerk in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/the-doctor-who-applied-a-stethoscope-to-my-heart-was-not-satisfied-i/) [C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/) > [I did quite a lot of menial jobs. I was a waiter, an inventory clerk touring round properties listing cups and saucers, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/i-did-quite-a-lot-of-menial-jobs-i-was-a-waiter-an-inventory-clerk/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [“Who gets the change?" the clerk asked. "You or...your fella?" Oh, he's not my boyfriend," I said. "He's my mother.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/who-gets-the-change-the-clerk-asked-you-or-your-fella-oh-he-s-not-my/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [When I was 18, I went into the army as a payroll clerk because otherwise I was headed for Korea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bream/when-i-was-18-i-went-into-the-army-as-a-payroll-clerk-because/) [Julian Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bream/) > [Let us suppose you become a craneman. Suppose you become a clerk in a lawyer's office. Give the best that is in you. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schwab/let-us-suppose-you-become-a-craneman-suppose-you-become-a-clerk-in-a/) [Charles M. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schwab/) > [“into the very room where Little Dorrit had slumbered after her party, to sign the Marriage Register. And there, Mr Pancks, (destined to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/into-the-very-room-where-little-dorrit-had-slumbered-after-her-party/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [An actor has no more right to be temperamental than a bank clerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredric-march/an-actor-has-no-more-right-to-be-temperamental-than-a-bank-clerk/) [Fredric March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredric-march/) > [You can be president of the United States and have the best, most bipartisan-seeming idea in the world. But if it doesn't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/you-can-be-president-of-the-united-states-and-have-the-best-most/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [But now I see well the old proverb is true: That parish priest forgetteth that ever he was a clerk!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heywood/but-now-i-see-well-the-old-proverb-is-true-that-parish-priest/) [John Heywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heywood/) [Browse all 19 Clerk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clerk/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For three months, when I was 23 years old, I worked as a clerk at Wandsworth Sewer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sandi Toksvig" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old-i-worked-as-a-clerk-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clerk" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old-i-worked-as-a-clerk-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/sandi-toksvig-4540_clerk_for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old_52832.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For three months, when I was 23 years old, I worked as a clerk at Wandsworth Sewer.” — Sandi Toksvig", "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": "Sandi Toksvig", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For three months, when I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old-i-worked-as-a-clerk-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/for-three-months-when-i-was-23-years-old-i-worked-as-a-clerk-at/#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 } } ] } ```