--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Still, my argument was that if she was…" description: "\"“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does \"going back\" 4 years really make? If the other path m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/sheryl-sandberg-439_career-paths_still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-go_813.png" --- # Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for… ![“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really make? If the other path made her happier and offered her a chance to learn new skills, that meant she was actually moving forward.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/sheryl-sandberg-439_career-paths_still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-go_813.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/sheryl-sandberg-439_career-paths_still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-go_813.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/sheryl-sandberg-439_career-paths_still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-go_813.png) > ““Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really make? If the other path made her happier and offered her a chance to learn new skills, that meant she was actually moving forward.”” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a career change later in life can be justified if it improves happiness and skill growth, outweighing the cost of perceived time lost. **In simple terms:** Later‑life pivots can be forward‑moving. Key Takeaway Happiness and learning trump time‑waste concerns. Themes career development personal fulfillment lifelong learning risk assessment growth mindset Mood optimistic reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - mid‑career professional considering a new field - someone evaluating a job switch after years - individual weighing education vs. work Key Concepts career transition skill acquisition future planning Practical Applications - career counseling - personal development workshops Questions to Reflect On - What does “moving forward” mean when you change direction? - How can you measure the value of happiness versus time? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [30 Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/30-years/) [Career-paths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-paths/) [Going Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-years-241473/) [Lean-in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lean-in-104993/) [Moving forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-forward/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Work 30](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-30-241474/) [Years Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-really/) ## Related quotes > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next thirty years, what difference does going "back" four years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I did a lot of TV work for more than 30 years in New York and L.A., but I would get on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/i-did-a-lot-of-tv-work-for-more-than-30-years-in-new-york-and-l-a-but/) [Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/) > [It feels good to have a body of work that, 30 years later, people show up and say, 'Man, we appreciate you.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-b/it-feels-good-to-have-a-body-of-work-that-30-years-later-people-show/) [Eric B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-b/) > [I was more interested in journalism and fact-finding than other things, so I didn't plan to work 30 years as a lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/i-was-more-interested-in-journalism-and-fact-finding-than-other/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [“But knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/but-knowing-that-things-could-be-worse-should-not-stop-us-from-trying-2/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of-and-once-we-are-aware-we/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“You then will lean way in to your career. You will find something you love doing and you will do it with gusto. Find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/you-then-will-lean-way-in-to-your-career-you-will-find-something-you/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“It's a jungle gym, not a ladder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/it-s-a-jungle-gym-not-a-ladder/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes. I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-truly-equal-world-would-be-one-where-women-ran-half-our-countries-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I work from about 8:30 A.M. until 7 P.M., five days a week, when I'm not sneaking off to buy another bar of chocolate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-work-from-about-8-30-a-m-until-7-p-m-five-days-a-week-when-i-m-not/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I've been sacrificing my life for my work for 30 years, and now I want it the other way around. I want to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-close/i-ve-been-sacrificing-my-life-for-my-work-for-30-years-and-now-i-want/) [Glenn Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-close/) > [I get to work at about 7:30 or 8 unless I have a breakfast meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-shalala/i-get-to-work-at-about-7-30-or-8-unless-i-have-a-breakfast-meeting/) [Donna Shalala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-shalala/) > [A woman must make her fortune before she is 30; or work after she is 30; or get married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-held/a-woman-must-make-her-fortune-before-she-is-30-or-work-after-she-is/) [Anna Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-held/) > [I didn't work out from 30 to 68. I just started working out when I turned 68.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-boeheim/i-didn-t-work-out-from-30-to-68-i-just-started-working-out-when-i/) [Jim Boeheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-boeheim/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ We \[Facebook\] really believe in enabling people to be their authentic selves on the web, and enabling people to communicate directly with each other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-facebook-really-believe-in-enabling-people-to-be-their-authentic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Career-paths quotes > [“Heaven knows where I'll end up - it's a safe bet I'll never be at the top of anything! Nor do I particularly care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/heaven-knows-where-i-ll-end-up-it-s-a-safe-bet-i-ll-never-be-at-the/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [I wonder why people work so hard to become politicians just in order to do something wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masuji-ibuse/i-wonder-why-people-work-so-hard-to-become-politicians-just-in-order/) [Masuji Ibuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masuji-ibuse/) > [“People have a much greater chance of finding something they’ll enjoy doing and making those greatest contributions when they trust themselves and are free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/people-have-a-much-greater-chance-of-finding-something-they-ll-enjoy/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming that at some point in the future everything you see will one day happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/you-know-you-spend-your-childhood-watching-tv-assuming-that-at-some/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [“Aim high in your career, but stay humble in your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/korean-proverb/aim-high-in-your-career-but-stay-humble-in-your-heart/) [Korean proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/korean-proverb/) > [“Our parents are not the only people on this planet, and we should not base our life choices on what they want (what will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/our-parents-are-not-the-only-people-on-this-planet-and-we-should-not/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“Fall makes me think that if I fail horribly at this art thing, and then fail horribly with this writing thing, I'll go run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hojberg/fall-makes-me-think-that-if-i-fail-horribly-at-this-art-thing-and/) [Tyler Hojberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hojberg/) > [“That’s not our role here, provide our parents with a “success story” to share at gatherings. Our role here is to contribute the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/that-s-not-our-role-here-provide-our-parents-with-a-success-story-to/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“It’s safer/ easier to follow the script and complain how broken some things are in that script, than to attempt to change those things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/it-s-safer-easier-to-follow-the-script-and-complain-how-broken-some/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“It is possible for you to realise your dream as a scientist, you must be a passionate learner and curious enough to seek this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-possible-for-you-to-realise-your-dream-as-a-scientist-you-must/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“A decision is only as strong as the belief standing behind it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-hankel/a-decision-is-only-as-strong-as-the-belief-standing-behind-it/) [Isaiah Hankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-hankel/) > [“I am certain that Eric will get the job. His career path is very straight, like that of an arrow to its target. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weike-wang/i-am-certain-that-eric-will-get-the-job-his-career-path-is-very/) [Weike Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weike-wang/) > [“You can build your business life where you are working with people you want to work with. Then it becomes a pleasure, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-morgan/you-can-build-your-business-life-where-you-are-working-with-people/) [Andy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-morgan/) > [“When my father was 17, he went to Montreal and found these submarine sandwich shops that were really successful, and weren't in Toronto \[his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/when-my-father-was-17-he-went-to-montreal-and-found-these-submarine/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [“An approach, according to which children should fulfil their parents’ dreams/ do everything in order to make their parents happy/ provide their parents with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/an-approach-according-to-which-children-should-fulfil-their-parents/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) [Browse all 23 Career-paths quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-paths/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does \"going back\" 4 years really make? 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