--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've seen prayers answered. But often, in…" description: "\"I've seen prayers answered. But often, in my experiences, if you get what you pray for, you've really shortchanged yourself.\" — Anne Lamott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fda/anne-lamott-188_answered-prayers_i-ve-seen-prayers-answered-but-often-in_2051777.png" --- # I've seen prayers answered. But often, in my experiences… ![“I've seen prayers answered. But often, in my experiences, if you get what you pray for, you've really shortchanged yourself.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fda/anne-lamott-188_answered-prayers_i-ve-seen-prayers-answered-but-often-in_2051777.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fda/anne-lamott-188_answered-prayers_i-ve-seen-prayers-answered-but-often-in_2051777.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fda/anne-lamott-188_answered-prayers_i-ve-seen-prayers-answered-but-often-in_2051777.png) > “I've seen prayers answered. But often, in my experiences, if you get what you pray for, you've really shortchanged yourself.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She warns that getting exactly what you wish for may lead to unintended loss, urging thoughtful desire. **In simple terms:** Be careful what you wish for. Key Takeaway Reflect before asking for outcomes. Themes faith desire consequences Mood contemplative cautious Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal decisions - spiritual practice - goal setting Key Concepts prayer expectation self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - What might you be missing by getting what you want? - How can you ensure wishes serve your growth? A Different Perspective Desires may not align with deeper needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answered Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answered-experiences-3870293/) [Answered prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answered-prayers/) [Experiences Pray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences-pray-3870292/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayers Answered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayers-answered/) [Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying/) [Praying for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying-for-you/) [Really Shortchanged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-shortchanged-3870294/) [Seen Prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen-prayers-640567/) ## Related quotes > [“No Man lives who has not seen some of his prayers granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-paramahansa-yogananda/no-man-lives-who-has-not-seen-some-of-his-prayers-granted/) [Sri Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-paramahansa-yogananda/) > [And as it turns out, if one person is praying for you, buckle up. Things can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-as-it-turns-out-if-one-person-is-praying-for-you-buckle-up-things/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Dear soulmate, I don't know who you are, where you live, or what you look like. But I pray for you every nite and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-warren/dear-soulmate-i-don-t-know-who-you-are-where-you-live-or-what-you/) [Frank Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-warren/) > [Now you pray, and I'm going to pray for you that the Lord will speak to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/now-you-pray-and-i-m-going-to-pray-for-you-that-the-lord-will-speak/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [Just because they say they're praying for you in your face, doesn't mean they aren't laughing at your struggle behind your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-shelton/just-because-they-say-they-re-praying-for-you-in-your-face-doesn-t/) [Trent Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-shelton/) > [Fossey, Fossey, you cranky difficult strong-arming self-destructive misanthrope, mediocre scientist, deceiver of earnest college students, probable cause of more deaths of the gorillas than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/fossey-fossey-you-cranky-difficult-strong-arming-self-destructive/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [I am also praying for you, my beloved partner. God has a miracle breakthrough for your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-evans/i-am-also-praying-for-you-my-beloved-partner-god-has-a-miracle/) [Mike Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-evans/) > [Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/pray-for-powers-equal-to-your-tasks/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [Answered prayers are scary. They imply responsibility. You asked for it. Now that you've got it, what are you going to do? Why else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/answered-prayers-are-scary-they-imply-responsibility-you-asked-for-it/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [I'd like to address the people of Flint. Your families face a crisis. A crisis you did not create and could not have prevented.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-snyder/i-d-like-to-address-the-people-of-flint-your-families-face-a-crisis-a/) [Rick Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-snyder/) > [The only advice that I know to give is to pray for your leaders. Whether you like it or not, we have a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colton-dixon/the-only-advice-that-i-know-to-give-is-to-pray-for-your-leaders/) [Colton Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colton-dixon/) > [Words cannot ease the pain you are feeling right now But just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-jones/words-cannot-ease-the-pain-you-are-feeling-right-now-but-just-wanted/) [Margaret Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-jones/) > [That is to say, I pray for you. And there's an intimacy in it. That's the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/that-is-to-say-i-pray-for-you-and-there-s-an-intimacy-in-it-that-s/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Last but not least my family. My brother Tony, I love you. Thank you for beating me up when I was a kid. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/last-but-not-least-my-family-my-brother-tony-i-love-you-thank-you-for/) [Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/) > [Anything you pray for, you need to prepare for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-franklin/anything-you-pray-for-you-need-to-prepare-for/) [DeVon Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-franklin/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Answered prayers quotes > [“Dear Lord, thank You for answered prayers and humans who do Your work here on earth. Please send Your comfort to all the animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guideposts/dear-lord-thank-you-for-answered-prayers-and-humans-who-do-your-work/) [Guideposts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guideposts/) > [The third petition of the Lord's Prayer is repeated daily by millions who have not the slightest intention of letting anyone's will be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-third-petition-of-the-lord-s-prayer-is-repeated-daily-by-millions/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Our Lord never referred to unanswered prayer. He taught that prayers are always answered: “Everyone who asks receives”. And He implied that prayers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/our-lord-never-referred-to-unanswered-prayer-he-taught-that-prayers/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Today, Jesus stands ready to hear your cry and to answer prayer for you. He is interested in every detail of your life. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-kuhlman/today-jesus-stands-ready-to-hear-your-cry-and-to-answer-prayer-for/) [Kathryn Kuhlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-kuhlman/) > [Never have false hope for granted wishes, but always have true faith in answered prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-have-false-hope-for-granted-wishes-but-always-have-true-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-is-a-general-kind-of-praying-which-fails-for-lack-of-precision/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Delays are as much a part of God plan as answered prayers. God wants you to trust him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/delays-are-as-much-a-part-of-god-plan-as-answered-prayers-god-wants/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [The history of missions is the history of answered prayer. It is the key to the whole mission problem. All human means are secondary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-marinus-zwemer/the-history-of-missions-is-the-history-of-answered-prayer-it-is-the/) [Samuel Marinus Zwemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-marinus-zwemer/) > [On the ground of our own goodness we cannot expect to have our prayers answered. But Jesus is worthy, and for His sake we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-muller/on-the-ground-of-our-own-goodness-we-cannot-expect-to-have-our/) [George Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-muller/) > [“May God overflow your life with bountiful blessings of grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/may-god-overflow-your-life-with-bountiful-blessings-of-grace/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers, there aren't any that go 'unanswered.' His silence speaks volumes if you're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-of-god-s-greatest-gifts-are-unanswered-prayers-there-aren-t-any/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude - an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/prayer-is-not-so-much-an-act-as-it-is-an-attitude-an-attitude-of/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [The story of every great Christian achievement is the history of answered prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/the-story-of-every-great-christian-achievement-is-the-history-of/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [God has not always answered my prayers. If He had, I would have married the wrong man -- several times!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-graham/god-has-not-always-answered-my-prayers-if-he-had-i-would-have-married/) [Ruth Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-graham/) > [Often a healing takes place in ourselves as we pray for the healing of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-debakey/often-a-healing-takes-place-in-ourselves-as-we-pray-for-the-healing/) [Michael E. DeBakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-debakey/) [Browse all 132 Answered prayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answered-prayers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've seen prayers answered. 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