--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never touched a gun in my life. That…" description: "\"I never touched a gun in my life. That and that alone forever doomed me to middle management.\" — Steve Martin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/steve-martin-593_doomed_i-never-touched-a-gun-in-my-life-that-an_2482221.jpg" --- # I never touched a gun in my life. That and that alone… ![“I never touched a gun in my life. That and that alone forever doomed me to middle management.” quote by Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/steve-martin-593_doomed_i-never-touched-a-gun-in-my-life-that-an_2482221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/steve-martin-593_doomed_i-never-touched-a-gun-in-my-life-that-an_2482221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/steve-martin-593_doomed_i-never-touched-a-gun-in-my-life-that-an_2482221.jpg) > “I never touched a gun in my life. That and that alone forever doomed me to middle management.” [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal anecdote about never handling a gun leads to a self‑deprecating comment on career stagnation. **In simple terms:** Never handling a gun led to middle management. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse experiences to avoid limiting yourself. Themes career self‑deprecation humor Mood witty reflective Type satirical observational When to use this quote - job interviews - career planning - risk‑taking - skill development Key Concepts identity choice consequence Questions to Reflect On - What experiences could you seek to broaden your perspective? - How does humor help confront professional anxieties? A Different Perspective Only one factor determines career path; many variables matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Middle management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-management/) ## Related quotes > [“We cannot live to be together Forever doomed to love and death, The latter bringing us together Claiming from life the final breath! So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-k-varenko/we-cannot-live-to-be-together-forever-doomed-to-love-and-death-the/) [T.K. Varenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-k-varenko/) > [Being from Australia, I've never even touched a gun. It's so not a part of our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/being-from-australia-i-ve-never-even-touched-a-gun-it-s-so-not-a-part/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [Only one chance one bullet in the gun. This is my life and I only got one, yeah. The safety’s off and I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/only-one-chance-one-bullet-in-the-gun-this-is-my-life-and-i-only-got/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [I don't recall having a gun. I really don't. I don't think I ever pulled a gun on anyone in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-issa/i-don-t-recall-having-a-gun-i-really-don-t-i-don-t-think-i-ever/) [Darrell Issa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-issa/) > [I never used a gun in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ray-hinton/i-never-used-a-gun-in-my-life/) [Anthony Ray Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ray-hinton/) > [“Sound waves, regardless of their frequency or intensity, can only be detected by the Mole Fly’s acute sense of smell—it is a little known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/sound-waves-regardless-of-their-frequency-or-intensity-can-only-be/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“It’s like my dreams were worn away by paper cuts, and at some point I woke up and realized that, ‘Hey, you aren’t going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-e-carr/it-s-like-my-dreams-were-worn-away-by-paper-cuts-and-at-some-point-i/) R.E. 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There was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-walked-the-short-distance-to-nogizaka-then-strolled-up-and-down/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“When I was a young man I worked for a very good company that was very well run by very nice people who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/when-i-was-a-young-man-i-worked-for-a-very-good-company-that-was-very/) [Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/) > [I'm far less bothered by on screen stars earning the big bucks than the legions of middle management behind the scenes at the BBC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/i-m-far-less-bothered-by-on-screen-stars-earning-the-big-bucks-than/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [I've been promoted to middle management. I never thought I'd sink so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gould/i-ve-been-promoted-to-middle-management-i-never-thought-i-d-sink-so/) Tim Gould ## More by Steve Martin > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: Like lucky cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-was-easy-to-be-great-every-entertainer-has-a-night-when-everything/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-a-woman-with-a-head-on-her-shoulders-i-hate-necks/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“And after his unparsable response, including a passage where he said he was 'blurring the boundaries between a thing and thought,' she said, 'Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/and-after-his-unparsable-response-including-a-passage-where-he-said/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I have no fear, no fear at all. I wake up, and I have no fear. I go to bed without fear. Fear, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-have-no-fear-no-fear-at-all-i-wake-up-and-i-have-no-fear-i-go-to/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Be undeniably good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [When I finally retire, I just want to go away so no one has to listen to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-i-finally-retire-i-just-want-to-go-away-so-no-one-has-to-listen/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Only then does he realize what he has done to Mirabelle, how wanting a square inch of her and not all of her has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/only-then-does-he-realize-what-he-has-done-to-mirabelle-how-wanting-a/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Lacey was just as happy alone as with company. When she was alone, she was potential; with others she was realized. Alone, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/lacey-was-just-as-happy-alone-as-with-company-when-she-was-alone-she/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [At first I had no skills in writing comedy. I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/you-cannot-make-your-opportunities-concur-with-the-opportunities-of/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/my-most-persistent-memory-of-stand-up-is-of-my-mouth-being-in-the/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-i-mean-is-that-none-of-my-talents-had-a-what-s-that-great-word/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) [Explore all 453 Steve Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## More Doomed quotes > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I didn't have any role models. I really thought I was doomed to this loveless, lonely life. I didn't know any gay people until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-batt/i-didn-t-have-any-role-models-i-really-thought-i-was-doomed-to-this/) [Bryan Batt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-batt/) > [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [Monotheism is in its turn doomed to subtract one more God and become atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/monotheism-is-in-its-turn-doomed-to-subtract-one-more-god-and-become/) [Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/) > [“Why are we doomed to crave most that which we cannot have?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-are-we-doomed-to-crave-most-that-which-we-cannot-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm doomed! And all 'cause Miss Man decides to take her little drag show on the road. -Mushu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulan/i-m-doomed-and-all-cause-miss-man-decides-to-take-her-little-drag/) [Mulan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulan/) > [It is important for investors to understand what they do and don't know. Learn to recognize that you cannot possibly know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/it-is-important-for-investors-to-understand-what-they-do-and-don-t/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [O Logic: born gatekeeper to the Temple of Science, victim of capricious destiny: doomed hitherto to be the drudge of pedants: come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/o-logic-born-gatekeeper-to-the-temple-of-science-victim-of-capricious/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [For the planet's sake, I hope we have bird flu or some other thing that will reduce the population, because otherwise we're doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/for-the-planet-s-sake-i-hope-we-have-bird-flu-or-some-other-thing/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-enemy-s-spies-who-have-come-to-spy-on-us-must-be-sought-out/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I do honestly think that if women were running the world there would be more investment in peace, because basically as women we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/i-do-honestly-think-that-if-women-were-running-the-world-there-would/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [When you think that most of us are doomed by divine grace to roast in hell, to say nothing of mortgages and hail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/when-you-think-that-most-of-us-are-doomed-by-divine-grace-to-roast-in/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [I am doomed or fortunate to stick to what I do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-sobule/i-am-doomed-or-fortunate-to-stick-to-what-i-do-best/) [Jill Sobule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-sobule/) Browse all 648 Doomed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never touched a gun in my life. 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