--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The question you should be asking isn't…" description: "\"The question you should be asking isn't, \"What do I want?\" or \"What are my goals?\" but \"What would excite me?\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg" --- # The question you should be asking isn't, "What do I want?"… ![“The question you should be asking isn't, "What do I want?" or "What are my goals?" but "What would excite me?” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg) > “The question you should be asking isn't, "What do I want?" or "What are my goals?" but "What would excite me?” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True motivation comes from excitement, not just desire or goals. **In simple terms:** Excitement drives purpose. Key Takeaway Seek what truly excites you. Themes motivation excitement purpose goal setting Mood curious thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - personal projects - creative pursuits Key Concepts intrinsic motivation passion self-discovery Questions to Reflect On - What excites you beyond material goals? - How to turn excitement into sustainable action? A Different Perspective Excitement can be fleeting and unclear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. When people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/excitement-is-the-more-practical-synonym-for-happiness-and-it-is/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Don't spend your precious time asking 'Why isn't the world a better place? It will only be time wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-spend-your-precious-time-asking-why-isn-t-the-world-a-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything we know has its origin in questions. Questions, we might say, are the principal intellectual instruments available to human beings. Then how is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-we-know-has-its-origin-in-questions-questions-we-might-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We must understand the fans, they want to see goals. If I was in their place I'd want the same. It's understandable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite/we-must-understand-the-fans-they-want-to-see-goals-if-i-was-in-their/) [Tite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite/) > [I want to go and get more goals, create my chances for the team, and do my best for Tottenham Hotspur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-kane/i-want-to-go-and-get-more-goals-create-my-chances-for-the-team-and-do/) [Harry Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-kane/) > [We know the fans want to see goals, skills, some magic things but the most important thing, for us, and what we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/we-know-the-fans-want-to-see-goals-skills-some-magic-things-but-the/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [“As such, the first question you should be asking yourself isn’t “Is this a good book?” but "Is this really the story I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/as-such-the-first-question-you-should-be-asking-yourself-isn-t-is/) [Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/) > [No one wants a lecture when you're getting a latte. So if you get one without asking, isn't that grounds for some discipline?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/no-one-wants-a-lecture-when-you-re-getting-a-latte-so-if-you-get-one/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [Don't spend your precious time asking "Why isn't the world a better place?" It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/don-t-spend-your-precious-time-asking-why-isn-t-the-world-a-better-2/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [I would find the idea of compiling a setlist that doesn't wildly excite me to be too restricting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-find-the-idea-of-compiling-a-setlist-that-doesn-t-wildly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Getting up quite late in the morning, going and trying to clean my bikes - I have quite a few of them in Ranchi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/getting-up-quite-late-in-the-morning-going-and-trying-to-clean-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If football/basketball is so awesome, why does it take cheerleaders to excite the crowd?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-football-basketball-is-so-awesome-why-does-it-take-cheerleaders-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the best skills of an entrepreneur is the ability to question. By asking new questions, new answers are found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/one-of-the-best-skills-of-an-entrepreneur-is-the-ability-to-question/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [The most important question is, 'Am I asking the most important question?' The second most important question is, 'Am I asking the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-caponigro/the-most-important-question-is-am-i-asking-the-most-important/) [John Paul Caponigro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-caponigro/) > [“The question we should be asking ourselves is: "Who do I need to become?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/the-question-we-should-be-asking-ourselves-is-who-do-i-need-to-become/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The question you should be asking isn't, \"What do I want?\" or \"What are my goals?\" but \"What would excite me?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t-what-do-i-want-or-what-are-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t-what-do-i-want-or-what-are-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/anonymous-1_asking_the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t_2258487.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The question you should be asking isn't, \"What do I want?\" or \"What are my goals?\" but \"What would excite me?” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The question you should be asking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t-what-do-i-want-or-what-are-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-you-should-be-asking-isn-t-what-do-i-want-or-what-are-my/#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 } } ] } ```