--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've become a professional failure - in…" description: "\"I've become a professional failure - in order to pay the mortgage I have to remain unemployed. Luckily, a disaster always seems to befall me at exactly..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/toby-young-19678_disaster_i-ve-become-a-professional-failure-in-or_3149922.png" --- # I've become a professional failure - in order to pay the… ![“I've become a professional failure - in order to pay the mortgage I have to remain unemployed. Luckily, a disaster always seems to befall me at exactly the right moment.” quote by Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/toby-young-19678_disaster_i-ve-become-a-professional-failure-in-or_3149922.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/toby-young-19678_disaster_i-ve-become-a-professional-failure-in-or_3149922.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/toby-young-19678_disaster_i-ve-become-a-professional-failure-in-or_3149922.png) > “I've become a professional failure - in order to pay the mortgage I have to remain unemployed. Luckily, a disaster always seems to befall me at exactly the right moment.” [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels trapped in a cycle where unemployment is a forced necessity to meet financial obligations, and misfortune appears at convenient moments. **In simple terms:** Feeling stuck in a forced unemployment loop. Key Takeaway Recognize the pattern and seek sustainable income. Themes employment financial stress self‑sabotage systemic pressure Mood frustrated resigned reflective Type personal political When to use this quote - job hunting - budget planning - mental health support - career counseling Key Concepts Economic insecurity psychological coping social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does your perception of failure affect your choices? - What steps could break this cycle? A Different Perspective The statement may exaggerate personal agency and ignore broader economic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Right moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-moment/) [Unemployed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployed/) ## Related quotes > [Unless you are wealthy, you cannot afford to act or direct one play and remain unemployed the rest of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-broacha/unless-you-are-wealthy-you-cannot-afford-to-act-or-direct-one-play/) [Cyrus Broacha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-broacha/) > [I have invested some money and I have a home, but people don't realise that you might only be working for a few weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-have-invested-some-money-and-i-have-a-home-but-people-don-t-realise/) [Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/) > [“...he who delights in work will not long remain unemployed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/he-who-delights-in-work-will-not-long-remain-unemployed/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“One can earn a thousand credentials but remain unemployed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-ohler-jr/one-can-earn-a-thousand-credentials-but-remain-unemployed/) Joseph Ohler, Jr > [I love money, and I love movement. I like what it has let me do for my family. I have paid off my mum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-love-money-and-i-love-movement-i-like-what-it-has-let-me-do-for-my/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“The surest way to bring out the best in you may simply be to remind yourself, again and again, that you can make your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/the-surest-way-to-bring-out-the-best-in-you-may-simply-be-to-remind/) [Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/) > [“Tell me: How do you know that you won't be killed by a falling meteor? How do you know that you shut off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fletcher-wortmann/tell-me-how-do-you-know-that-you-won-t-be-killed-by-a-falling-meteor/) Fletcher Wortmann > [The one who plays this game the best is Iniesta: he knows exactly when to go forward and when to drop back. He picks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-roman-riquelme/the-one-who-plays-this-game-the-best-is-iniesta-he-knows-exactly-when/) [Juan Roman Riquelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-roman-riquelme/) > [When we said that no more areas of power should go to the EU we were right. And now thanks to the European Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/when-we-said-that-no-more-areas-of-power-should-go-to-the-eu-we-were/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [You can wait your whole life for the right moment and it might never come, so I'm a big believer in making now the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-henderson/you-can-wait-your-whole-life-for-the-right-moment-and-it-might-never/) [Logan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-henderson/) > [I don't want your future I don't need your past One bright moment Is all I ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/i-don-t-want-your-future-i-don-t-need-your-past-one-bright-moment-is/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Premature ideas do not exist, one must bide one's time until the right moment comes along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-monnet/premature-ideas-do-not-exist-one-must-bide-one-s-time-until-the-right/) [Jean Monnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-monnet/) > [“But the guy sitting at the table next to me who'd been imagining killing his wife and was now imagining seducing me wasn't the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-brighton/but-the-guy-sitting-at-the-table-next-to-me-who-d-been-imagining/) [Lori Brighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-brighton/) ## More by Toby Young > [Teachers complain a lot about how tough their job is. But, you know, the day begins in most schools at nine o'clock, ends at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/teachers-complain-a-lot-about-how-tough-their-job-is-but-you-know-the/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [I expect that in 40 years' time I'll be writing political tomes and working for an organisation like Oxfam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/i-expect-that-in-40-years-time-i-ll-be-writing-political-tomes-and/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [Oddly, I do have a problem with authority. I find it very difficult to knuckle down and follow rules. Which are the classic symptoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/oddly-i-do-have-a-problem-with-authority-i-find-it-very-difficult-to/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [I really like the Observer. I think I'd love to have a column with a broad reach that would enable me to do some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/i-really-like-the-observer-i-think-i-d-love-to-have-a-column-with-a/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [I've never been to a shrink. But my parents were very psychologically literate - my father had undergone Freudian analysis - and we often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/i-ve-never-been-to-a-shrink-but-my-parents-were-very-psychologically/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [You know when you tell a self-deprecating story at a dinner party, everyone's laughing along with you? But then when someone else repeats that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/you-know-when-you-tell-a-self-deprecating-story-at-a-dinner-party/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [The fact that I'm a Tory who hasn't worked at a university - at least, not since I taught at Cambridge in 1990 -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/the-fact-that-i-m-a-tory-who-hasn-t-worked-at-a-university-at-least/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [If anything bad happens, the media will leap on it. We're under a huge obligation to be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/if-anything-bad-happens-the-media-will-leap-on-it-we-re-under-a-huge/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [“It was journalism at its best: irreverent, mischievous and beholden to no one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/it-was-journalism-at-its-best-irreverent-mischievous-and-beholden-to/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [In my capacity as a board member of the OfS, I hope to be impartial, objective, and fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/in-my-capacity-as-a-board-member-of-the-ofs-i-hope-to-be-impartial/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [America thinks of itself as a meritocracy, so people have more respect for success and more contempt for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/america-thinks-of-itself-as-a-meritocracy-so-people-have-more-respect/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [I tried being a mechanic and I tried catering, but I realized I had even less aptitude for semi-skilled labour than for academic work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/i-tried-being-a-mechanic-and-i-tried-catering-but-i-realized-i-had/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [My life's ambition is to play a James Bond villain. I have the cat and the eye-patch, so I'm just waiting for the call.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/my-life-s-ambition-is-to-play-a-james-bond-villain-i-have-the-cat-and/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [It's very different doing a food show in America and doing one in Britain. I did a 20-part series for the BBC series called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/it-s-very-different-doing-a-food-show-in-america-and-doing-one-in/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) > [I was every Londoner's stereotypical idea of a brash, vulgar American. When I got here, it turned out that London was the Wild West,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-young/i-was-every-londoner-s-stereotypical-idea-of-a-brash-vulgar-american/) [Toby Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) [Explore all 31 Toby Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-young/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) Martha GellmanMartha Gellman [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've become a professional failure - in order to pay the mortgage I have to remain unemployed. 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