--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is easy to get to a higher number when…" description: "\"It is easy to get to a higher number when you are not asking anything difficult from yourself.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg" --- # It is easy to get to a higher number when you are not… ![“It is easy to get to a higher number when you are not asking anything difficult from yourself.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg) > “It is easy to get to a higher number when you are not asking anything difficult from yourself.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving higher results is easy when you set low expectations for yourself. **In simple terms:** Easy success comes from low standards. Key Takeaway Raise your standards to grow. Themes self-improvement expectations achievement Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - academic pursuits - personal fitness - creative projects Key Concepts psychology motivation goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What standards are you setting for yourself? - How can you challenge yourself constructively? A Different Perspective Low expectations can lead to complacency and limit potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-higher-5221684/) [Easy to get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-to-get/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Higher Number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-number-5221685/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Number Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-asking-5221686/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) ## Related quotes > [We Americans are not an inherently more violent people than folks in other countries. We're not inherently more prone to mental health problems. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-americans-are-not-an-inherently-more-violent-people-than-folks-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [After a decade of profligacy, the American people are tired of politicians who talk the talk but don't walk the walk when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/after-a-decade-of-profligacy-the-american-people-are-tired-of/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [...Started by missionaries in 1841, Punahou Academy had grown into a prestigious prep school, an incubator for island elites...It hadn't been easy to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/started-by-missionaries-in-1841-punahou-academy-had-grown-into-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [When you've got little kids, and you're tucking them in. When you open a door and they're in their pajamas and they're, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/when-you-ve-got-little-kids-and-you-re-tucking-them-in-when-you-open/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington . . . I'm asking you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-asking-you-to-believe-not-just-in-my-ability-to-bring-about-real/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-asking-my-attorney-general-to-create-a-special-unit-of-federal/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I didn't become a Christian until many years later, when I moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. It happened not because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-didn-t-become-a-christian-until-many-years-later-when-i-moved-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [When you're a fifty-year-old woman, no one really bothers to look at you anymore, much less value your opinion. It's hard on the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/when-you-re-a-fifty-year-old-woman-no-one-really-bothers-to-look-at/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [I stopped looking at people's opinions. It's easy to get caught up in what other people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhene-aiko/i-stopped-looking-at-people-s-opinions-it-s-easy-to-get-caught-up-in/) [Jhene Aiko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhene-aiko/) > [With period dramas, it's very easy to get excited because I love to do them. I'm a history nut and I love to immerse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-standen/with-period-dramas-it-s-very-easy-to-get-excited-because-i-love-to-do/) [Clive Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-standen/) > [Nothing worth having is easy to get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-ogle/nothing-worth-having-is-easy-to-get/) [Andy Ogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-ogle/) > [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [This tennis world, this tennis community, is very much a bubble, and it's very easy to get lost in here. You know, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/this-tennis-world-this-tennis-community-is-very-much-a-bubble-and-it/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [I think it's very easy to get discouraged early on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-it-s-very-easy-to-get-discouraged-early-on/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [It's also so cool to be able to develop the talent to be able to jump and control the motorcycle which is a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/it-s-also-so-cool-to-be-able-to-develop-the-talent-to-be-able-to-jump/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is easy to get to a higher number when you are not asking anything difficult from yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-when-you-are-not-asking-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-when-you-are-not-asking-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/barack-obama-17_asking_it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-whe_653648.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is easy to get to a higher number when you are not asking anything difficult from yourself.” — Barack Obama", "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": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is easy to get to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-when-you-are-not-asking-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-is-easy-to-get-to-a-higher-number-when-you-are-not-asking-anything/#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 } } ] } ```