---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: had just fired somebody that day, and I…"
description: "\"“had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family”\" — Walter Isaacson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png"
---

#  had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it…

![“had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png)

> ““had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family””

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## 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 reflects on the human impact of firing someone, imagining the employee’s perspective and family consequences.

**In simple terms:** Considering how firing affects a worker and his family.

Key Takeaway

Empathize before making tough decisions.

Themes

leadership empathy workplace ethics

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

reflective ethical

When to use this quote

- HR meetings
- performance reviews
- layoffs
- career transitions

Key Concepts

human impact decision making emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- How would you feel if you were the employee?
- What steps can you take to soften the impact?

A Different Perspective

Empathy may not change business necessities; decisions can still harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Day Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-imagined-3450742/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fired/) [Fired Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fired-somebody-3450740/) [Just Fired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-fired-3450741/) [Person Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-tell/)

## Related quotes

> [“There ain’t nothing worse than getting fired by somebody you hate, because it means they”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-monette/there-ain-t-nothing-worse-than-getting-fired-by-somebody-you-hate/)

[Sarah Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-monette/)

> [I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's chairman of the board](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bartz/i-ve-just-been-fired-over-the-phone-by-yahoo-s-chairman-of-the-board/)

[Carol Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bartz/)

> [“Never see yourself as a disappointment or failure just because you were fired”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/never-see-yourself-as-a-disappointment-or-failure-just-because-you/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [I remember, I was at the house with my oldest son and I got that call from Johnny Ace. You know that call. Johnny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-truth/i-remember-i-was-at-the-house-with-my-oldest-son-and-i-got-that-call/)

[R-Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-truth/)

> [The year the bus drivers went on strike in Pittsburgh, I was twenty-three and living on the edge of the city in a neighborhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/the-year-the-bus-drivers-went-on-strike-in-pittsburgh-i-was-twenty/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/never-allow-a-person-to-tell-you-no-who-doesn-t-have-the-power-to-say/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

> [And for me, I guess the person who I tell everything that I'm going through is you. The fans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/and-for-me-i-guess-the-person-who-i-tell-everything-that-i-m-going/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [“Show me it’s possible to be an adult and also be happy. Please. This is a free country. You don’t have to keep doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/show-me-it-s-possible-to-be-an-adult-and-also-be-happy-please-this-is/)

[Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/)

> [I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person. But it is not because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-do-not-tell-lies-mother-used-to-say-that-this-was-because-i-was-a/)

[Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/)

> [Black folks tell their kids they have to be twice as good as a white person? Well, if I tell a child of mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/black-folks-tell-their-kids-they-have-to-be-twice-as-good-as-a-white/)

[Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/)

> [“At some point in youth an old person will tell you a harsh truth you will not believe, in middle age you will realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-a-a-savastano/at-some-point-in-youth-an-old-person-will-tell-you-a-harsh-truth-you/)

[C.A.A. Savastano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-a-a-savastano/)

> [I am not the type of person to tell you want you want to hear. I will tell you the complete truth, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/i-am-not-the-type-of-person-to-tell-you-want-you-want-to-hear-i-will/)

[Enhance Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enhance-dreams/)

> [I'm just a real person and I tell it like it is. I don't have a lot of secrets, which has been a fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nene-leakes/i-m-just-a-real-person-and-i-tell-it-like-it-is-i-don-t-have-a-lot-of/)

[NeNe Leakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nene-leakes/)

> [I don't understand how any black person can tell me that they're not pro-gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-don-t-understand-how-any-black-person-can-tell-me-that-they-re-not/)

[Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/)

## More by Walter Isaacson

> [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

[Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## More Family quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

[Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/)

> [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/)

[Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/)

[Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/)

> [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/)

[Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walter Isaacson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-imagined-what-it-was-like-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-imagined-what-it-was-like-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/walter-isaacson-384_family_had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-i_1990751.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“had just fired somebody that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family” — Walter Isaacson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Walter Isaacson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“had just fired somebody that day,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-imagined-what-it-was-like-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/had-just-fired-somebody-that-day-and-i-imagined-what-it-was-like-for/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
