--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To excel is to reach your own highest…" description: "\"To excel is to reach your own highest dream. But you must also help others, where and when you can, to reach theirs. Personal gain is empty if you do n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/barbara-walters-7622_dream_to-excel-is-to-reach-your-own-highest-dr_2076821.jpg" --- # To excel is to reach your own highest dream. But you must… ![“To excel is to reach your own highest dream. But you must also help others, where and when you can, to reach theirs. Personal gain is empty if you do not feel you have positively touched another's life.” quote by Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/barbara-walters-7622_dream_to-excel-is-to-reach-your-own-highest-dr_2076821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/barbara-walters-7622_dream_to-excel-is-to-reach-your-own-highest-dr_2076821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/barbara-walters-7622_dream_to-excel-is-to-reach-your-own-highest-dr_2076821.jpg) > “To excel is to reach your own highest dream. But you must also help others, where and when you can, to reach theirs. Personal gain is empty if you do not feel you have positively touched another's life.” [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving personal excellence is intertwined with helping others achieve theirs; true fulfillment comes from positively impacting lives. **In simple terms:** Success includes helping others. Key Takeaway Help others while pursuing your dreams. Themes purpose service personal growth Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career mentorship - community volunteering - teaching - family support Key Concepts Altruism self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal ambition with service? - What impact do you want to leave? A Different Perspective Self‑interest can dominate, reducing focus on others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Excel Reach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excel-reach-4036282/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Gain Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gain-feel-4036281/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Help others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-others/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helping others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-others/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Personal gain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-gain/) [Positively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positively/) [Reach Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reach-highest-1570084/) [Touched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touched/) [Touched Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touched-life-306037/) ## Related quotes > [What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/what-makes-something-special-is-not-just-what-you-have-to-gain-but/) [Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/) > [“Loss of one thing results in the gain of the other... 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It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-by-all-odds-the-loftiest-of-cities-it-even-managed-to-reach-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To be reborned many times over, you must unleash the power of inertia. But must you go out every time and reach for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-wyatt/to-be-reborned-many-times-over-you-must-unleash-the-power-of-inertia/) [C.C. Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-wyatt/) > [If I told you what it takes to reach the highest high you'd laugh and say nothing that simple, but you've been told many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/if-i-told-you-what-it-takes-to-reach-the-highest-high-you-d-laugh-and/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of diamonds. This life is a great chance. What, seekest thou the pleasures of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/do-not-go-for-glass-beads-leaving-the-mine-of-diamonds-this-life-is-a/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“For it is no doubt impossible to eradicate everything at once from their obstinate minds, because he who endeavours to reach the highest place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-i/for-it-is-no-doubt-impossible-to-eradicate-everything-at-once-from/) [Pope Gregory I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-i/) > [“God has given every man incomparably great power to reach the highest calling in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-giftyakita/god-has-given-every-man-incomparably-great-power-to-reach-the-highest/) [Lailah GiftyAkita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-giftyakita/) > [The very purpose of life is to reach the highest possible flowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/the-very-purpose-of-life-is-to-reach-the-highest-possible-flowering/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [I want to be known, I want to show everyone that someone who was born and raised in a favela can reach the top,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-pereira/i-want-to-be-known-i-want-to-show-everyone-that-someone-who-was-born/) [Alex Pereira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-pereira/) ## More by Barbara Walters > [Wait for those unguarded moments. Relax the mood and, like the child dropping off to sleep, the subject often reveals his truest self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/wait-for-those-unguarded-moments-relax-the-mood-and-like-the-child/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [When you're interviewing someone, you're in control. When you're being interviewed, you think you're in control, but you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/when-you-re-interviewing-someone-you-re-in-control-when-you-re-being/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [ \[On being indecisive and changeable:\] On my gravestone I want inscribed: 'On the other hand, maybe I should have lived. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/on-being-indecisive-and-changeable-on-my-gravestone-i-want-inscribed/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [I was the kind nobody thought could make it. I had a funny Boston accent. I couldn't pronounce my R's. I wasn't a beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/i-was-the-kind-nobody-thought-could-make-it-i-had-a-funny-boston/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [ A man cannot be comfortable \[or cannot be made comfortable\] without his own approval. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/a-man-cannot-be-comfortable-or-cannot-be-made-comfortable-without-his/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [But for Muslims, everything that they don't have on earth is what they get in heaven. They can drink, they can have sex. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/but-for-muslims-everything-that-they-don-t-have-on-earth-is-what-they/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Motherhood is tough. If you just want a wonderful little creature to love, you can get a puppy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/motherhood-is-tough-if-you-just-want-a-wonderful-little-creature-to/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [And I really do believe that the most important thing is the way you live your life on earth. But I think it's enormously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/and-i-really-do-believe-that-the-most-important-thing-is-the-way-you/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [If it's a woman it's caustic, if it's a man it's authority, If it's a woman it's too pushy, if it's a man it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/if-it-s-a-woman-it-s-caustic-if-it-s-a-man-it-s-authority-if-it-s-a/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [I was trying to do everything I possibly could,up until this morning, when I was betrayed, to protect her. We gave her time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/i-was-trying-to-do-everything-i-possibly-could-up-until-this-morning/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Just do your job. Get in early. Stay late, and don’t complain. Fight the big fights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/just-do-your-job-get-in-early-stay-late-and-don-t-complain-fight-the/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [I think most working relationships could benefit by excluding personal matters from the office chatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/i-think-most-working-relationships-could-benefit-by-excluding/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Don't confuse being stimulating with being blunt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/don-t-confuse-being-stimulating-with-being-blunt/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Après ski is my favorite sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/apr-s-ski-is-my-favorite-sport/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [I have affected the way women are regarded, and that's important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/i-have-affected-the-way-women-are-regarded-and-that-s-important-to-me/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) [Explore all 89 Barbara Walters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) ## More Dream quotes > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To excel is to reach your own highest dream. But you must also help others, where and when you can, to reach theirs. 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