--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a student I was very, very…" description: "\"When I was a student I was very, very ambitious, completely immersed in my comedy career. I never had that period of reckless hedonism that you should ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/steve-coogan-2910_ambitious_when-i-was-a-student-i-was-very-very-amb_2202040.jpg" --- # When I was a student I was very, very ambitious… ![“When I was a student I was very, very ambitious, completely immersed in my comedy career. I never had that period of reckless hedonism that you should get out of your system in your youth.” quote by Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/steve-coogan-2910_ambitious_when-i-was-a-student-i-was-very-very-amb_2202040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/steve-coogan-2910_ambitious_when-i-was-a-student-i-was-very-very-amb_2202040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/steve-coogan-2910_ambitious_when-i-was-a-student-i-was-very-very-amb_2202040.jpg) > “When I was a student I was very, very ambitious, completely immersed in my comedy career. I never had that period of reckless hedonism that you should get out of your system in your youth.” [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He pursued comedy passionately without indulging in reckless youth excesses, focusing on career over hedonism. **In simple terms:** Focused ambition over reckless youth. Key Takeaway Prioritize purpose over fleeting pleasure. Themes career ambition self-discipline creative arts Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - starting a comedy career - avoiding burnout - balancing work and fun - early professional choices Key Concepts focus self-control career development Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are you willing to make for your goals? - How do you balance discipline with enjoyment? A Different Perspective May miss out on experiential learning and personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Ambitious Completely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious-completely-4840796/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Comedy Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy-career-1785628/) [Hedonism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hedonism/) [Hedonism Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hedonism-youth-4840797/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Reckless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckless/) [Reckless Hedonism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckless-hedonism-4840794/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Student Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/student-ambitious-4840795/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [January 14, 2000, was my first time on stage, and I've been hooked ever since. I got discovered nationally in Seattle by the now-defunct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kondabolu/january-14-2000-was-my-first-time-on-stage-and-i-ve-been-hooked-ever/) [Hari Kondabolu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kondabolu/) > [I never set out to build some behemoth comedy career. My taste in movies is far more eclectic than that so my aspirations as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-levy/i-never-set-out-to-build-some-behemoth-comedy-career-my-taste-in/) [Shawn Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-levy/) > [I decided I would go to NYU so I could get into the comedy world and have legit housing, and my parents would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-glazer/i-decided-i-would-go-to-nyu-so-i-could-get-into-the-comedy-world-and/) [Ilana Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-glazer/) > [I've done comedy most of my career, which I love, but I wanted to expand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-ve-done-comedy-most-of-my-career-which-i-love-but-i-wanted-to-expand/) [Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/) > [I always say to Blake Griffin that he has a better comedy career than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-brennan/i-always-say-to-blake-griffin-that-he-has-a-better-comedy-career-than/) [Neal Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-brennan/) > [I never really thought comedy was a career option, just something I did for fun. Suddenly I realised I was getting paid which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-never-really-thought-comedy-was-a-career-option-just-something-i/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [For whatever reason, luck and word of mouth - my comedy career couldn't have started better. I went to Edinburgh, selling out this 300-seater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/for-whatever-reason-luck-and-word-of-mouth-my-comedy-career-couldn-t/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [For such a big chunk of my comedy career, I was very into the idea of ice and diamonds and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/for-such-a-big-chunk-of-my-comedy-career-i-was-very-into-the-idea-of/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I never really thought of comedy as a career. My goal was, when I moved to New York, I was going to write serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/i-never-really-thought-of-comedy-as-a-career-my-goal-was-when-i-moved/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [Over the years, I managed to develop this comedy career, went from opening act to headliner at comedy clubs, to playing concert halls, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/over-the-years-i-managed-to-develop-this-comedy-career-went-from/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [If you're doing a job, and you secretly want to do a different job, you start to blame the job. I was blaming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-davies/if-you-re-doing-a-job-and-you-secretly-want-to-do-a-different-job-you/) [Greg Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-davies/) > [“Why put together a stand-up comedy routine? Especially if you’re not planning a comedy career? Because in the very process of creating an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-carter/why-put-together-a-stand-up-comedy-routine-especially-if-you-re-not/) [Judy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-carter/) > [I used to go to the library all the time when I was kid. As a teenager, I got a book on how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/i-used-to-go-to-the-library-all-the-time-when-i-was-kid-as-a-teenager/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) > [Selfish hedonism is not a pejorative. It is a description - an exactly accurate description of what is involved in homosexual relations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/selfish-hedonism-is-not-a-pejorative-it-is-a-description-an-exactly/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) ## More by Steve Coogan > [As soon as I see period costume, I turn off. It's like hearing drama on Radio 4.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/as-soon-as-i-see-period-costume-i-turn-off-it-s-like-hearing-drama-on/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [A woman wearing a revealing dress will always be sexier than a naked woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/a-woman-wearing-a-revealing-dress-will-always-be-sexier-than-a-naked/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I like to do movies that provoke rather than reinforce conservative values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-like-to-do-movies-that-provoke-rather-than-reinforce-conservative/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I'm gonna hump ya. Like Deputy Dog... Would hump ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-gonna-hump-ya-like-deputy-dog-would-hump-ya/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [What terrifies me is that I might somehow endorse that view so people think they don't have to read books anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/what-terrifies-me-is-that-i-might-somehow-endorse-that-view-so-people/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I am lucky to be in a profession that is not age dependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-am-lucky-to-be-in-a-profession-that-is-not-age-dependent/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I think there's as much profundity and wisdom in Shakespeare, more so in fact, than those in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-think-there-s-as-much-profundity-and-wisdom-in-shakespeare-more-so/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I don't apologize for my behavior anymore. Whatever I do or don't do shouldn't matter. Moral certainty is dangerous. Moral certainty is what makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-don-t-apologize-for-my-behavior-anymore-whatever-i-do-or-don-t-do/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [A womb with a view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/a-womb-with-a-view/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I'm really encouraged by Pope Francis, because I think his attitude is totally laudable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-really-encouraged-by-pope-francis-because-i-think-his-attitude-is/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [Knowing about comedy has helped me with the drama. To see people laugh, it's like there are moments of catharsis in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/knowing-about-comedy-has-helped-me-with-the-drama-to-see-people-laugh/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I happen to have a public profile. Ditto newspaper editors. It's a result of what I do, not an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-happen-to-have-a-public-profile-ditto-newspaper-editors-it-s-a/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [The fundamentalists are insistent that they know best. It's a dictatorial attitude towards personal morality, which is a modern creation that came about in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/the-fundamentalists-are-insistent-that-they-know-best-it-s-a/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I use improvisation as a writing tool to help produce material that goes into a script, but a well-crafted script shouldn't sound scripted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-use-improvisation-as-a-writing-tool-to-help-produce-material-that/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [If the person who can effectively sanction ill-conceived wars can play the electric guitar, which is a symbol of rebellion, then that whole worldview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/if-the-person-who-can-effectively-sanction-ill-conceived-wars-can/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) [Explore all 145 Steve Coogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) ## More Ambitious quotes > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [“Getting rich is easy, staying rich is impressive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-trip/getting-rich-is-easy-staying-rich-is-impressive/) [Don Trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-trip/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [I am ambitious to do more than what has been offered me. I want to be the best in whatever career I choose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-am-ambitious-to-do-more-than-what-has-been-offered-me-i-want-to-be/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [There are four varieties in society — the lovers, the ambitious, observers, and fools. The fools are the happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippolyte-taine/there-are-four-varieties-in-society-the-lovers-the-ambitious/) [Hippolyte Taine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippolyte-taine/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I'm not ambitious. Not a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-m-not-ambitious-not-a-bit/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [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/) > [I understood early on that I was not the best-looking girl in the room. But I knew my advantage was a hard work ethic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-understood-early-on-that-i-was-not-the-best-looking-girl-in-the/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) [Browse all 1,269 Ambitious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was a student I was very, very ambitious, completely immersed in my comedy career. 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