I love to quit things. It’s a point of pride. I am happy to leave the party early. I don’t particularly enjoy doing anything, so the chance to stop is always a thrill. Like most men who can no longer escape a chair without making a loud and embarrassing noise, I get a lot of my personal philosophy from Michael Mann’s Heat (1995): “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”
This is, of course, all bluster from me. My wife, child and annoying cavoodle would all have follow-up questions if I actually tried to live this philosophy. It was a wise choice to never give De Niro’s character a cavoodle. It’s also worth acknowledging that even if I tried to live that way, the vast majority of my 30 seconds would be spent trying to get out of the aforementioned chair. But in my heart, the principle remains true.
