--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at…" description: "\"I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.\" — Sonny Rollins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg" --- # I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because… ![“I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.” quote by Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg) > “I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.” [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He feels lucky to earn a living from music because he lacks other skills. **In simple terms:** He can only make money by playing music. Key Takeaway Accept and excel at your unique talent. Themes career music skill luck self-awareness Mood reflective realistic Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - performing concerts - teaching music - recording sessions - seeking alternative income - career planning Key Concepts identity economic reality creative limitation Questions to Reflect On - What skill could broaden his options? - How does focusing on a single talent affect fulfillment? A Different Perspective If he learned new skills, his perspective on music might change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Making a living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-a-living/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [I feel so fortunate about making a living doing something I like that if I'm not working really, really hard at it, I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-freese/i-feel-so-fortunate-about-making-a-living-doing-something-i-like-that/) [Josh Freese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-freese/) > [I am sure I'd have made a better all-around man if I hadn't lost so much time just making a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/i-am-sure-i-d-have-made-a-better-all-around-man-if-i-hadn-t-lost-so/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [The jingles saved my life. When I got hired to do that, I was on top. I finally was making a living doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-foster/the-jingles-saved-my-life-when-i-got-hired-to-do-that-i-was-on-top-i/) [Mark Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-foster/) > [Playing live and making a living from music was always the only goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-capaldi/playing-live-and-making-a-living-from-music-was-always-the-only-goal/) [Lewis Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-capaldi/) > [We've given up making a living, its all this crazy love poetry now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/we-ve-given-up-making-a-living-its-all-this-crazy-love-poetry-now/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [The only people who have control over their careers are the ones you see on the covers of magazines. Everyone else is just plodding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/the-only-people-who-have-control-over-their-careers-are-the-ones-you/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [If you love writing or making music or blogging or any sort of performing art, then do it. Do it with everything you've got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-love-writing-or-making-music-or-blogging-or-any-sort-of/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tan/there-s-a-common-misconception-that-work-is-necessary-you-will-meet/) [Adrian Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tan/) > [Before I became a writer, I was running a jazz bar in the center of Tokyo, which means that I worked in filthy air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/before-i-became-a-writer-i-was-running-a-jazz-bar-in-the-center-of/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Why should I stop working? If I do, I'll die and it'll all be finished. 'm lucky to work in the most perfect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/why-should-i-stop-working-if-i-do-i-ll-die-and-it-ll-all-be-finished/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [I always felt that making a living wasn't the easiest thing in the world, and I decided I was going straight ahead and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-day/i-always-felt-that-making-a-living-wasn-t-the-easiest-thing-in-the/) [Doris Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-day/) > [“No difference making a living with what’s between your ears and making one with what’s between your legs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/no-difference-making-a-living-with-what-s-between-your-ears-and/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [Any time you're making a living at what you love to do, you're blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/any-time-you-re-making-a-living-at-what-you-love-to-do-you-re-blessed/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-learned-that-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-the-way-he-she/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [It isn't called TV money for nothing. There was a time where I paid my rent by doing theater for years, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/it-isn-t-called-tv-money-for-nothing-there-was-a-time-where-i-paid-my/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) ## More by Sonny Rollins > [How ironic that the Negro, who more than any other people can claim America's culture as his own, is being persecuted and repressed; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/how-ironic-that-the-negro-who-more-than-any-other-people-can-claim/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [I'm now a legend, whether I want to be or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-now-a-legend-whether-i-want-to-be-or-not/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after playing around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-enjoy-playing-clubs-i-still-enjoy-the-closeness-of-the-nightclub/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [Music represents nature. Nature represents life. Jazz represents nature. Jazz is life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/music-represents-nature-nature-represents-life-jazz-represents-nature/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/improvisation-is-the-ability-to-create-something-very-spiritual/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-have-to-admit-that-even/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [...this is my dilemma. I'm a guy who makes things up as I go along, so nothing is ever finished - there are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/this-is-my-dilemma-i-m-a-guy-who-makes-things-up-as-i-go-along-so/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [Jazz is the type of music that can absorb so many things and still be jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/jazz-is-the-type-of-music-that-can-absorb-so-many-things-and-still-be/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [My mother came from St. Thomas. I heard that melody and all I did was actually adapt it. I made my adaptation of sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/my-mother-came-from-st-thomas-i-heard-that-melody-and-all-i-did-was/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [I feel that L.A. has not always been my strongest base for support. That can be for various reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-feel-that-l-a-has-not-always-been-my-strongest-base-for-support/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [You had many jazz musicians who lived in the United States, who had a hard time being accepted over here and had to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/you-had-many-jazz-musicians-who-lived-in-the-united-states-who-had-a/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [I miss playing with Miles. I did play with him a little while before he left the planet, but even at that time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-miss-playing-with-miles-i-did-play-with-him-a-little-while-before/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [Improvisation is really not so much remembering things. And this is what I do when I play. I forget things. When I go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/improvisation-is-really-not-so-much-remembering-things-and-this-is/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [I simply want to reach a level where I will never cease to make progress...so that, even on the bad evenings, I may never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-simply-want-to-reach-a-level-where-i-will-never-cease-to-make/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [It's all about creation and surprise. It just needs to be appreciated and watered like flowers. You have to water flowers. These peaks will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/it-s-all-about-creation-and-surprise-it-just-needs-to-be-appreciated/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) [Explore all 50 Sonny Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) ## More Equipped quotes > [If you saw me trying to do laundry or something, well, I'm not really equipped to do anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitt/if-you-saw-me-trying-to-do-laundry-or-something-well-i-m-not-really/) [Michael Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pitt/) > [My writing partner, Nicki, and I became obsessed with a monologist who performs unscripted shows equipped with nothing more than scribbled bullet points and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/my-writing-partner-nicki-and-i-became-obsessed-with-a-monologist-who/) [Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/) > [“Feeling guilty does not set us free. Being equipped sets us free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hunter/feeling-guilty-does-not-set-us-free-being-equipped-sets-us-free/) Thom Hunter > [I did not end up as broadly educated as my Cambridge colleagues, but I graduated probably better equipped to write a book on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-did-not-end-up-as-broadly-educated-as-my-cambridge-colleagues-but-i/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Like every novelist, I fantasise about film. Novelists are not equipped to make a movie, in my opinion. They make their own movie when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/like-every-novelist-i-fantasise-about-film-novelists-are-not-equipped/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You're better equipped for this world than I am," she said. "I'm always trying to change the world. You know how to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/you-re-better-equipped-for-this-world-than-i-am-she-said-i-m-always/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Don't rely on leaders to do things you're equipped to do yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/don-t-rely-on-leaders-to-do-things-you-re-equipped-to-do-yourself/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I've never known anyone more ill equipped for happiness. He wouldn't know what to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-ve-never-known-anyone-more-ill-equipped-for-happiness-he-wouldn-t/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“Be yourself, you're already fully equipped to succeed at that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liano/be-yourself-you-re-already-fully-equipped-to-succeed-at-that/) [Rob Liano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liano/) > [Those who operate through the Holy Spirit are more equipped to resist temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-operate-through-the-holy-spirit-are-more-equipped-to-resist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So… You are well equipped for our service.' 'Which is?' 'We kill people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-lafevers/so-you-are-well-equipped-for-our-service-which-is-we-kill-people/) [R.L. LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-lafevers/) > [When fame presented itself to me, I was not at a point in my life where I was equipped to deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/when-fame-presented-itself-to-me-i-was-not-at-a-point-in-my-life/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Fame infantilises and grants relative impunity. Those that seek it, out of an exaggerated need for admiration or attention, are often the least well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemima-khan/fame-infantilises-and-grants-relative-impunity-those-that-seek-it-out/) [Jemima Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemima-khan/) > [When I was 14 years old, I went on location to film 'Mrs. Doubtfire' for five months, and my high school was not happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jakub/when-i-was-14-years-old-i-went-on-location-to-film-mrs-doubtfire-for/) [Lisa Jakub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jakub/) > [IRS is very poorly equipped to make a distinction between what is a religion and what is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/irs-is-very-poorly-equipped-to-make-a-distinction-between-what-is-a/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) Browse all 69 Equipped quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sonny Rollins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-at-it-now-because-i-m-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Equipped" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-at-it-now-because-i-m-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b90/sonny-rollins-13594_equipped_i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-a_346453.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.” — Sonny Rollins", "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": "Sonny Rollins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm fortunate that I'm making a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-at-it-now-because-i-m-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-at-it-now-because-i-m-not/#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 } } ] } ```