--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes I could. I’d been doing it alone for…" description: "\"“Yes I could. I’d been doing it alone for ages. Richard was no more help than a husband-sized cardboard cutout.”\" — Tracy Brogan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/tracy-brogan-11539_doing-it-alone_yes-i-could-i-d-been-doing-it-alone-for_2472145.jpg" --- # Yes I could. I’d been doing it alone for ages. Richard was… ![“Yes I could. I’d been doing it alone for ages. Richard was no more help than a husband-sized cardboard cutout.” quote by Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/tracy-brogan-11539_doing-it-alone_yes-i-could-i-d-been-doing-it-alone-for_2472145.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/tracy-brogan-11539_doing-it-alone_yes-i-could-i-d-been-doing-it-alone-for_2472145.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/tracy-brogan-11539_doing-it-alone_yes-i-could-i-d-been-doing-it-alone-for_2472145.jpg) > ““Yes I could. I’d been doing it alone for ages. Richard was no more help than a husband-sized cardboard cutout.”” [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) ## 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 isolated, doing tasks alone, with a partner offering no real assistance. **In simple terms:** Doing things alone with a useless partner. Key Takeaway Seek genuine collaboration or self-reliance. Themes loneliness independence relationships Mood lonely determined Type personal reflective When to use this quote - project work - family responsibilities - creative endeavors - startup teams Key Concepts personal agency support dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How to identify reliable collaborators? - When to accept help versus go solo? A Different Perspective Not all partnerships are equally supportive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ages Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ages-richard-772245/) [Cardboard Cutout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cardboard-cutout-772244/) [Cutout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutout-772247/) [Doing It Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-it-alone/) [Help Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-husband-772246/) [Richard Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richard-help-772243/) ## Related quotes > [“A cutout is just a go-between, who goes between (I just got that) two intelligence agents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-archer/a-cutout-is-just-a-go-between-who-goes-between-i-just-got-that-two/) [Sterling Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-archer/) > [“Got the same urgent grasp of reality as a cardboard cutout.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/got-the-same-urgent-grasp-of-reality-as-a-cardboard-cutout/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [In 16, 17 years as a pro I was used to the head coach doing it alone. He might have asked his people for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-klinsmann/in-16-17-years-as-a-pro-i-was-used-to-the-head-coach-doing-it-alone/) [Jurgen Klinsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-klinsmann/) > [I was such a hands-on dad. You hate to see your wife with the burden of doing it alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-was-such-a-hands-on-dad-you-hate-to-see-your-wife-with-the-burden/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [“There's some comfort in saying, I'm joining this long line of humanity. We're all going to get in line and our parents will die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyn/there-s-some-comfort-in-saying-i-m-joining-this-long-line-of-humanity/) [Wayne Coyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyn/) > [“You can't do it alone but make sure you're not doing it alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/you-can-t-do-it-alone-but-make-sure-you-re-not-doing-it-alone/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [I actually do my own renovations. I designed and built a 100-foot split-cedar rail fence to enclose my property. It was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-donovan/i-actually-do-my-own-renovations-i-designed-and-built-a-100-foot/) [Jeffrey Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-donovan/) > [Go your own way, have the willingness to go beyond what is familiar and safe, reinvent yourself, risk everything to fulfill your dreams, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-addison/go-your-own-way-have-the-willingness-to-go-beyond-what-is-familiar/) [Brooke Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-addison/) > [“That being said, I fucking HATE shopping with other people. I insist on doing it alone because it’s the only activity that truly centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-walker/that-being-said-i-fucking-hate-shopping-with-other-people-i-insist-on/) [Babe Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-walker/) > [“Our choice in life is to do it alone or to do it with help. Even if we think we are doing it alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cupo/our-choice-in-life-is-to-do-it-alone-or-to-do-it-with-help-even-if-we/) [Michael Cupo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cupo/) > [When we got to the step when we'd normally start collaborating, we started having these talks about how it was not worth getting together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-leithauser/when-we-got-to-the-step-when-we-d-normally-start-collaborating-we/) [Hamilton Leithauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-leithauser/) > [I insist upon 'doing it alone'... I have always worked better alone and from my own impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/i-insist-upon-doing-it-alone-i-have-always-worked-better-alone-and/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I was an empty vessel just floating through L.A. and raising children, and I was doing it alone. When my relationship started blossoming with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-vaughan/i-was-an-empty-vessel-just-floating-through-l-a-and-raising-children/) [Greg Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-vaughan/) > [Acting is reacting... there's a magic when you're working with another actor. With voice acting, you're doing it alone, all in your head. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-keaton/acting-is-reacting-there-s-a-magic-when-you-re-working-with-another/) [Josh Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-keaton/) > [“Happy Mother's day … Its mothering Sunday in England and I just wanted to take a min to honor all the mothers out there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miss-gath/happy-mother-s-day-its-mothering-sunday-in-england-and-i-just-wanted/) [Miss Gath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miss-gath/) ## More by Tracy Brogan > [“Her life was more like a series of tattered Post-it notes with hastily scribbled goals written in dull pencil. Some of them stuck. Lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/her-life-was-more-like-a-series-of-tattered-post-it-notes-with/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“I must have looked like a zombie when I opened the door. Tyler literally recoiled when he saw me, and then he chuckled. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/i-must-have-looked-like-a-zombie-when-i-opened-the-door-tyler/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“You’ll find the balance you need as soon as you let go of how you think things should be and accept them as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/you-ll-find-the-balance-you-need-as-soon-as-you-let-go-of-how-you/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“most of the guys Emily dealt with these days were subcontractors who wore tool belts and cargo pants and suffered from chronic ass-crack reveal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/most-of-the-guys-emily-dealt-with-these-days-were-subcontractors-who/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“A crooked old man had been playing solitaire in there with an actual deck of cards when she and Chloe had arrived. Emily estimated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/a-crooked-old-man-had-been-playing-solitaire-in-there-with-an-actual/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“He winked at me over her head, causing my bra to try and unclasp itself in sweet surrender.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/he-winked-at-me-over-her-head-causing-my-bra-to-try-and-unclasp/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Finally, the judge from Ypsilanti”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/finally-the-judge-from-ypsilanti/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Apparently while I was reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dating, he’d read The Guide to Dating a Complete Idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/apparently-while-i-was-reading-the-complete-idiot-s-guide-to-dating/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“she caught a glimpse of flat, tan abdomen, and suddenly she didn’t need coffee. She needed smelling salts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/she-caught-a-glimpse-of-flat-tan-abdomen-and-suddenly-she-didn-t-need/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“We can’t control events in our life, Sadie. Sometimes we can’t even control our reactions. But the harder we fight against the waves, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/we-can-t-control-events-in-our-life-sadie-sometimes-we-can-t-even/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Siri, what’s a femme fatale?” Chloe asked her phone. “It’s a dishonest woman who uses feminine wiles to manipulate men,” Emily responded just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/siri-what-s-a-femme-fatale-chloe-asked-her-phone-it-s-a-dishonest/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“He turned his head to look at her, trying to think of ways to plead his case. Some way to dazzle and beguile her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/he-turned-his-head-to-look-at-her-trying-to-think-of-ways-to-plead/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Ugh! Talking to the sperm-donor-formerly-known-as-my-husband was just the garlic frosting I needed on this total piece of shit day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/ugh-talking-to-the-sperm-donor-formerly-known-as-my-husband-was-just/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Drunk puzzle night had been a little too much fun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/drunk-puzzle-night-had-been-a-little-too-much-fun/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“popcorn, with Jordan fast on her heels. They sprinted into the dense growth of the overburdened flower beds and began running zigzag patterns around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/popcorn-with-jordan-fast-on-her-heels-they-sprinted-into-the-dense/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) [Explore all 56 Tracy Brogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) ## More Doing It Alone quotes > [In 16, 17 years as a pro I was used to the head coach doing it alone. He might have asked his people for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-klinsmann/in-16-17-years-as-a-pro-i-was-used-to-the-head-coach-doing-it-alone/) [Jurgen Klinsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-klinsmann/) > [Acting is reacting... there's a magic when you're working with another actor. With voice acting, you're doing it alone, all in your head. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-keaton/acting-is-reacting-there-s-a-magic-when-you-re-working-with-another/) [Josh Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-keaton/) > [I was an empty vessel just floating through L.A. and raising children, and I was doing it alone. When my relationship started blossoming with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-vaughan/i-was-an-empty-vessel-just-floating-through-l-a-and-raising-children/) [Greg Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-vaughan/) > [I insist upon 'doing it alone'... I have always worked better alone and from my own impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/i-insist-upon-doing-it-alone-i-have-always-worked-better-alone-and/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [When we got to the step when we'd normally start collaborating, we started having these talks about how it was not worth getting together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-leithauser/when-we-got-to-the-step-when-we-d-normally-start-collaborating-we/) [Hamilton Leithauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-leithauser/) > [“Our choice in life is to do it alone or to do it with help. Even if we think we are doing it alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cupo/our-choice-in-life-is-to-do-it-alone-or-to-do-it-with-help-even-if-we/) [Michael Cupo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cupo/) > [“That being said, I fucking HATE shopping with other people. I insist on doing it alone because it’s the only activity that truly centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-walker/that-being-said-i-fucking-hate-shopping-with-other-people-i-insist-on/) [Babe Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-walker/) > [Go your own way, have the willingness to go beyond what is familiar and safe, reinvent yourself, risk everything to fulfill your dreams, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-addison/go-your-own-way-have-the-willingness-to-go-beyond-what-is-familiar/) [Brooke Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-addison/) > [I actually do my own renovations. I designed and built a 100-foot split-cedar rail fence to enclose my property. It was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-donovan/i-actually-do-my-own-renovations-i-designed-and-built-a-100-foot/) [Jeffrey Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-donovan/) > [“You can't do it alone but make sure you're not doing it alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/you-can-t-do-it-alone-but-make-sure-you-re-not-doing-it-alone/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [“There's some comfort in saying, I'm joining this long line of humanity. We're all going to get in line and our parents will die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyn/there-s-some-comfort-in-saying-i-m-joining-this-long-line-of-humanity/) [Wayne Coyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyn/) > [I was such a hands-on dad. You hate to see your wife with the burden of doing it alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-was-such-a-hands-on-dad-you-hate-to-see-your-wife-with-the-burden/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [“Happy Mother's day … Its mothering Sunday in England and I just wanted to take a min to honor all the mothers out there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miss-gath/happy-mother-s-day-its-mothering-sunday-in-england-and-i-just-wanted/) [Miss Gath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miss-gath/) > [“Then she leaned slightly into him and said gently, “I don’t think you should be left be. I think you’re dealing with something heavy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/then-she-leaned-slightly-into-him-and-said-gently-i-don-t-think-you/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [Make vegan friends! It's a tough row to hoe doing it alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/make-vegan-friends-it-s-a-tough-row-to-hoe-doing-it-alone/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) [Browse all 16 Doing It Alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-it-alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yes I could. I’d been doing it alone for ages. 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