--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If everything that you do is for the…" description: "\"If everything that you do is for the market, it won't work.\" — T. Allen Lawson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/t-allen-lawson-50265_commerce_if-everything-that-you-do-is-for-the-mar_38938.jpg" --- # If everything that you do is for the market, it won't work. ![“If everything that you do is for the market, it won't work.” quote by T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/t-allen-lawson-50265_commerce_if-everything-that-you-do-is-for-the-mar_38938.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/t-allen-lawson-50265_commerce_if-everything-that-you-do-is-for-the-mar_38938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/t-allen-lawson-50265_commerce_if-everything-that-you-do-is-for-the-mar_38938.jpg) > “If everything that you do is for the market, it won't work.” [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing market demands over intrinsic purpose leads to failure, as authentic motivation is essential for sustainable success. **In simple terms:** Market‑driven actions lack lasting impact. Key Takeaway Authenticity beats market‑centricity. Themes authenticity purpose motivation sustainability failure Mood determined reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - career planning - product development - creative projects - personal growth Key Concepts intrinsic vs. extrinsic goals value alignment Practical Applications - strategic decision‑making - mission‑driven branding Questions to Reflect On - What drives your actions beyond profit? - How can you align your work with deeper values? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [You have to pinpoint the market, and if you don't pinpoint the market, you won't be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-have-to-pinpoint-the-market-and-if-you-don-t-pinpoint-the-market/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman > [The broken consumer credit market had to be repaired by making sure that consumers had the right information and could use it effectively. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-broken-consumer-credit-market-had-to-be-repaired-by-making-sure/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Every time the market has corrected, since 2008, it's always been the Fed that's made the bottom. The Fed has always saved the market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/every-time-the-market-has-corrected-since-2008-it-s-always-been-the/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [You have to build what the market needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-s-miller/you-have-to-build-what-the-market-needs/) [Jamie S. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-s-miller/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [I don't ever take a day 'off.' If I can't work, I won't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jackson/i-don-t-ever-take-a-day-off-if-i-can-t-work-i-won-t-work/) [Christopher Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jackson/) > [You can have X's and O's, you can have talent, but if you don't have a vision, it won't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-moore/you-can-have-x-s-and-o-s-you-can-have-talent-but-if-you-don-t-have-a/) [Maya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-moore/) > [We haven't failed. We now know a thousand things that won't work, so we are much closer to finding what will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/we-haven-t-failed-we-now-know-a-thousand-things-that-won-t-work-so-we/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Sometimes you just have to try, even if you know it won’t work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/sometimes-you-just-have-to-try-even-if-you-know-it-won-t-work/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep our interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t-work-that-keep-our-interest/) [Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/) > [“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. -Thomas A. Edison”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-tichio/i-have-not-failed-i-ve-just-found-10-000-ways-that-won-t-work-thomas/) Joe Tichio > [Some things may work, but they definitely won't work every time. Some things may work at various times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/some-things-may-work-but-they-definitely-won-t-work-every-time-some/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [Ideas won't work unless you do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ideas-won-t-work-unless-you-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If the stuff you're writing is not for yourself, it won't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-the-stuff-you-re-writing-is-not-for-yourself-it-won-t-work/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by T. Allen Lawson > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [It benefits all artists to help one another - it raises the whole profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/it-benefits-all-artists-to-help-one-another-it-raises-the-whole/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [Art is the space between the viewer and the rectangle that hangs on the wall. Unless something of the person that created the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/art-is-the-space-between-the-viewer-and-the-rectangle-that-hangs-on/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [What you work hardest at, you love the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/what-you-work-hardest-at-you-love-the-most/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [The transition from painter to artist comes when you cross the line of painting what you see to painting what you feel about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/the-transition-from-painter-to-artist-comes-when-you-cross-the-line/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [ I've started to experiment \[in the studio\] with texturing the canvas, building up the surface with large brushes, palette knife or fingers. I want… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/i-ve-started-to-experiment-in-the-studio-with-texturing-the-canvas/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) [Explore all 7 T. Allen Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) ## More Commerce quotes > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/) Fang Chen > [If I were in this business only for the business, I wouldn't be in this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-were-in-this-business-only-for-the-business-i-wouldn-t-be-in/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [ Rather than comparing \[war\] to art we could more accurately compare it to commerce, which is also a conflict of human interests and activities;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/rather-than-comparing-war-to-art-we-could-more-accurately-compare-it/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/commerce-diminishes-the-spirit-both-of-patriotism-and-military-defence/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [My decision to destroy the authority of the blacks in Saint Domingue (Haiti) is not so much based on considerations of commerce and money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/my-decision-to-destroy-the-authority-of-the-blacks-in-saint-domingue/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The future is religion and commerce, aphrodisiac and Benzedrine, a mother of mysterious comfort and a mistress of familiar ravishments ever on the verge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-kennedy/the-future-is-religion-and-commerce-aphrodisiac-and-benzedrine-a/) [Eugene Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-kennedy/) > [Trade and commerce, if they were not made of Indian rubber, would never manage to bounce over the obstacles which legislators are continually putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/trade-and-commerce-if-they-were-not-made-of-indian-rubber-would-never/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The American way was for commerce, personal relationships, and religion to be voluntary. No one was forced to participate in something he didn't want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-american-way-was-for-commerce-personal-relationships-and-religion/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Spring comes with joyous laugh, and song, and sunshine, and the burnt sacrifice of the over-ripe boot and the hoary overshoe. The cowboy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wilson-nye/spring-comes-with-joyous-laugh-and-song-and-sunshine-and-the-burnt/) [Edgar Wilson Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wilson-nye/) > [If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-you-look-at-romantic-comedies-as-pieces-of-commerce-the-audience/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Companies should not have a singular view of profitability. There needs to be a balance between commerce and social responsibility... The companies that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/companies-should-not-have-a-singular-view-of-profitability-there/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) [Browse all 842 Commerce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If everything that you do is for the market, it won't work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T. 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