--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once you start thinking about it in a…" description: "\"Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of mind, then you're finished. You're a joke, because there are too many mercenaries out there al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/tommy-shaw-16595_about_once-you-start-thinking-about-it-in-a-me_967901.png" --- # Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of… ![“Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of mind, then you're finished. You're a joke, because there are too many mercenaries out there already.” quote by Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/tommy-shaw-16595_about_once-you-start-thinking-about-it-in-a-me_967901.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/tommy-shaw-16595_about_once-you-start-thinking-about-it-in-a-me_967901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/tommy-shaw-16595_about_once-you-start-thinking-about-it-in-a-me_967901.png) > “Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of mind, then you're finished. You're a joke, because there are too many mercenaries out there already.” [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adopting a mercenary mindset reduces integrity, making one a target of ridicule and moral decline. **In simple terms:** Mercenary mindset harms reputation. Key Takeaway Maintain ethical principles over profit. Themes ethics integrity reputation mercenary mindset morality Mood critical thought‑provoking serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business decisions - military contracts - freelance work - political alliances Key Concepts moral philosophy personal values social perception Questions to Reflect On - Is it possible to stay ethical in competitive fields? - What defines a mercenary mindset? A Different Perspective Some may argue pragmatic choices are necessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Frame of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frame-of-mind/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Mercenaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercenaries/) [Mercenary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercenary/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Being a mercenary, though... Hey, we just go wherever there's a mixture of money and trouble, and everyone in the galaxy is a potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/being-a-mercenary-though-hey-we-just-go-wherever-there-s-a-mixture-of/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [Maxim 6: If violence wasn't your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it. -The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/maxim-6-if-violence-wasn-t-your-last-resort-you-failed-to-resort-to/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [Maxim 3: An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks everybody. -The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/maxim-3-an-ordnance-technician-at-a-dead-run-outranks-everybody-the/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [“Maxim 27: Don't be afraid to be the first to resort to violence. -The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/maxim-27-don-t-be-afraid-to-be-the-first-to-resort-to-violence-the/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [I was always a sports nut but I've lost interest now in whether one bunch of mercenaries in north London is going to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-was-always-a-sports-nut-but-i-ve-lost-interest-now-in-whether-one/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [“Maxim 36: When the going gets tough, the tough call for close air support. -The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/maxim-36-when-the-going-gets-tough-the-tough-call-for-close-air/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [“New orders: Make sure everybody who doesn't want to live here is aboard in five minutes. We are leaving. -Captain Kevyn Andreyasn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/new-orders-make-sure-everybody-who-doesn-t-want-to-live-here-is/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [“Maxim 34: If you're leaving scorch-marks, you need a bigger gun. -The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/maxim-34-if-you-re-leaving-scorch-marks-you-need-a-bigger-gun-the/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [“In medieval times, contrary to popular belief, most knights were bandits, mercenaries, lawless brigands, skinners, highwaymen, and thieves. The supposed chivalry of Charlemagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-wodicka/in-medieval-times-contrary-to-popular-belief-most-knights-were/) [Tod Wodicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-wodicka/) > [They opposed brute force to reason and philosophy, and battalions of foreign mercenaries to ideas. As if ideas were to be impaled on bayonets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-sabatini/they-opposed-brute-force-to-reason-and-philosophy-and-battalions-of/) [Rafael Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-sabatini/) > [“Looters become looted, while time and tide make us mercenaries all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/looters-become-looted-while-time-and-tide-make-us-mercenaries-all/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Those who ran away are now outside the distant perimeter wall of the airport. Now they're outside the wall and the heroic Republican Guard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/those-who-ran-away-are-now-outside-the-distant-perimeter-wall-of-the/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [A colonial war is a very dirty kind of war. You're not fighting armed forces. You're fighting mostly unarmed people. And to fight that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-colonial-war-is-a-very-dirty-kind-of-war-you-re-not-fighting-armed/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [These mercenaries, I swear by God, those who are still in Washington, they have sent their troops to be burned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/these-mercenaries-i-swear-by-god-those-who-are-still-in-washington/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) ## More by Tommy Shaw > [I love the idea of stepping out of the band situation into a solo world with no boundaries, no expectations, where nothing is out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-love-the-idea-of-stepping-out-of-the-band-situation-into-a-solo/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [When you sign with a label, they do insist upon certain rights, and if you have a competent attorney, your rights will be protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/when-you-sign-with-a-label-they-do-insist-upon-certain-rights-and-if/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I soon gave up instruction for self-teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-soon-gave-up-instruction-for-self-teaching/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I'm not the kind of guy who deserves to play a vintage guitar because I'm too rough on instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-m-not-the-kind-of-guy-who-deserves-to-play-a-vintage-guitar-because/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [We were playing popular music, but we were doing our own arrangements because we were too lazy to sit down and figure out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/we-were-playing-popular-music-but-we-were-doing-our-own-arrangements/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [Songwriting is the other weight on the opposite side of the scale from touring. They balance me out creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/songwriting-is-the-other-weight-on-the-opposite-side-of-the-scale/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [When it stops being fun, stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/when-it-stops-being-fun-stop/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [There were some older guitarists on my side of town, and I got to know many of them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/there-were-some-older-guitarists-on-my-side-of-town-and-i-got-to-know/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [If music became extinct now, I dont know what Id be good for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/if-music-became-extinct-now-i-dont-know-what-id-be-good-for/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing-when-you-sign-a-recording/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I have always been a sucker for the big, upbeat chorus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-have-always-been-a-sucker-for-the-big-upbeat-chorus/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [When I became 16 I started thinking seriously about singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/when-i-became-16-i-started-thinking-seriously-about-singing/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [You can have fun, but you also have to put on your thinking cap every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/you-can-have-fun-but-you-also-have-to-put-on-your-thinking-cap-every/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [If music became extinct now, I don't know what I'd be good for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/if-music-became-extinct-now-i-don-t-know-what-i-d-be-good-for/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I don't like looking back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-don-t-like-looking-back/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) [Explore all 39 Tommy Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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