It's all been a bad joke that just ran out of control. I got into food for fun but the business got a mind of its own. Now - my good Lord - look where it has gotten me. My products are on supermarket shelves, in cinemas, in the theater. And they say show business is odd.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Newman reflects on how a simple venture became a massive enterprise that evolved beyond his original intentions.
- In plain terms
- A fun food business grew into something huge he did not plan.
- What can you take from it?
- Small ventures can grow beyond their creator's control.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did a project grow beyond your plans?
- How do you manage unexpected success?
Another view
It overlooks the deliberate choices made to achieve that scale.
More from Paul Newman
When I realized I was going to have to be a whore, to put my face on the label, I decided that the only way I could do it was to give away all the money we mak…
Permalink to quote #16 I like racing but food and pictures are more thrilling. I can't give them up. In racing you can be certain, to the last thousandth of a second, that someone is…
Permalink to quote #18 I cannot bear to look at a film that I made before 1990. Maybe 1985. There's no sense even trying to explain it. I really just can't watch myself. I see all th…
Permalink to quote #15
Related quotes
No thing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let i…
EpictetusEpictetus quote #3 I'm a businessman. I work for business people. The kind of thing they say is: Now we've sold a lot of records, let's sell some more.
Nat (King) ColeNat (King) Cole quote #5 In order to achieve anything, you must be brave enough to fail.
Kirk DouglasKirk Douglas quote #1