--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first step in getting what you want…" description: "\"The first step in getting what you want from life-decide what you want.\" — Ben Stein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg" --- # The first step in getting what you want from life-decide… ![“The first step in getting what you want from life-decide what you want.” quote by Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg) > “The first step in getting what you want from life-decide what you want.” [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving desired outcomes starts with clearly defining what those outcomes are. **In simple terms:** First decide what you want. Key Takeaway Clarify goals before taking action. Themes goal setting clarity decision making planning Mood focused pragmatic optimistic Type advice motivational practical When to use this quote - career planning - financial goals - personal projects - relationship objectives - health targets Key Concepts vision intentionality focus Questions to Reflect On - What is the most important goal you currently have? - How will you measure success? A Different Perspective Unclear goals can lead to wasted effort and frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide/) [Decide Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide-want/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Getting Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-want/) [Getting what you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-what-you-want/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-decide/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-life/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [“The first step to getting the tings you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-to-getting-the-tings-you-want-out-of-life-is-this/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [The great secret of getting what you want from life is to know whay you want and believe you can have it. Always do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/the-great-secret-of-getting-what-you-want-from-life-is-to-know-whay/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The first step to getting what you want is to have the courage to get rid of what you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-first-step-to-getting-what-you-want-is-to-have-the-courage-to-get/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [The first step to getting the things you want from life is to decide what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-step-to-getting-the-things-you-want-from-life-is-to-decide/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-to-getting-the-things-you-want-out-of-life-is-this/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-indispensable-first-step-to-getting-the-things-you-want-out-of/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [Happiness isn't about getting what you want all the time; it's about loving what you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asher-roth/happiness-isn-t-about-getting-what-you-want-all-the-time-it-s-about/) [Asher Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asher-roth/) > [It's not about getting what you want. It's about experiencing what you really need by becoming more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/it-s-not-about-getting-what-you-want-it-s-about-experiencing-what-you/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [It's not getting what you want that's the hard part, it's deciding what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-potter/it-s-not-getting-what-you-want-that-s-the-hard-part-it-s-deciding/) [Alexandra Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-potter/) > [Satisfaction isn't so much getting what you want as wanting what you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-myers/satisfaction-isn-t-so-much-getting-what-you-want-as-wanting-what-you/) [David Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-myers/) > [Sometimes, not getting what you want can be the most valuable experience of your entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/sometimes-not-getting-what-you-want-can-be-the-most-valuable/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [... there are two ways of being unhappy. Not getting what you want is one. Getting what you want is the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-are-two-ways-of-being-unhappy-not-getting-what-you-want-is-one/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The first secret of getting what you want is knowing what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-d-hlavaty/the-first-secret-of-getting-what-you-want-is-knowing-what-you-want/) [Arthur D. Hlavaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-d-hlavaty/) > [Fear has only two causes: the thought of losing what you have or the thought of not getting what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/fear-has-only-two-causes-the-thought-of-losing-what-you-have-or-the/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Manners are a way of getting what you want without appearing to be an absolute swine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/manners-are-a-way-of-getting-what-you-want-without-appearing-to-be-an/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) ## More by Ben Stein > [I think, there are many people who are much smarter than I am, and many, many, many who are much harder-working than I am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-think-there-are-many-people-who-are-much-smarter-than-i-am-and-many/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [Emperor Sid Caesar is gone to eternity himself now. He takes with him the gratitude of every one of us who first learned the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/emperor-sid-caesar-is-gone-to-eternity-himself-now-he-takes-with-him/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [I am back in LA now. And I keep thinking back to my time in New York after the bombings… I was crying so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-am-back-in-la-now-and-i-keep-thinking-back-to-my-time-in-new-york/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [I'm not a Mensa member. I have no idea where that rumor came from. I never have been, and I doubt if I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-m-not-a-mensa-member-i-have-no-idea-where-that-rumor-came-from-i/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [The successful people of this world take life as it comes. They just go out and deal with the world as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-successful-people-of-this-world-take-life-as-it-comes-they-just/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [It's really amazing that in the age of unbelief, as a smart man called it, there isn't even more fraud. After all, with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/it-s-really-amazing-that-in-the-age-of-unbelief-as-a-smart-man-called/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [It is so great to sleep in safe, glorious, beautiful America. I just cannot get over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/it-is-so-great-to-sleep-in-safe-glorious-beautiful-america-i-just/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [And now, any of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/and-now-any-of-those-who-refuse-or-are-unable-to-prove-they-are/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [I have to tell you I never in my life anticipated getting this old, this fast. It seems as if I were 25 just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-have-to-tell-you-i-never-in-my-life-anticipated-getting-this-old/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [Yes, Americans can still get credit for cars and trucks and refrigerators, and those businesses are doing well. But just try to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/yes-americans-can-still-get-credit-for-cars-and-trucks-and/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [For any exam in history, here is the answer: all human history is the struggle between systems that attempt to shackle the human personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/for-any-exam-in-history-here-is-the-answer-all-human-history-is-the/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [The ordinary American - as far as I can tell - knows so much less than he did fifty years ago and has such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-ordinary-american-as-far-as-i-can-tell-knows-so-much-less-than-he/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [But when I talk to people who are Darwinists or evolutionists and say, 'Well, how did life begin' -- they're...they don't have an answer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/but-when-i-talk-to-people-who-are-darwinists-or-evolutionists-and-say/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/personal-relationships-are-the-fertile-soil-from-which-all/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [I always assumed scientists were free to ask any question, pursue any line of inquiry without fear or reprisal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-always-assumed-scientists-were-free-to-ask-any-question-pursue-any/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) [Explore all 153 Ben Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) ## More Decide quotes > [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [We do not know which irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/we-do-not-know-which-irresponsible-israeli-prime-minister-will-take/) [Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [LOOK before you pick,DECIDE WELL before you choose,because these two things are very important in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oluwatayo-oluwatoyosi/look-before-you-pick-decide-well-before-you-choose-because-these-two/) [Oluwatayo Oluwatoyosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oluwatayo-oluwatoyosi/) > [Decisions decide destiny, there is no action without decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/decisions-decide-destiny-there-is-no-action-without-decision/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Do you keep pace with those around you, or do you decide yourself just how you will live your life? The truth is...only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/do-you-keep-pace-with-those-around-you-or-do-you-decide-yourself-just/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [All the people ought to decide, but now most states are tossed on the scrap heap and ignored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-anderson/all-the-people-ought-to-decide-but-now-most-states-are-tossed-on-the/) [John Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-anderson/) > [Fear is going to be a player in your life, but you get to decide how much!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/fear-is-going-to-be-a-player-in-your-life-but-you-get-to-decide-how/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [We cant choose our lives, but we can decide what to do with the joys or griefs were given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-cant-choose-our-lives-but-we-can-decide-what-to-do-with-the-joys/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It’s as easy as we choose to make it,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine. “At least, this decision is. Nothing’s truly easy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/it-s-as-easy-as-we-choose-to-make-it-he-murmured-pressing-his/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [What you believe in, is the life you decide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keshia-chante/what-you-believe-in-is-the-life-you-decide/) [Keshia Chante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keshia-chante/) > [Heart is decide u want in ur life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raajni/heart-is-decide-u-want-in-ur-life/) [Raajni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raajni/) > [I think hopefully we've got enough brain cells left to decide if our music is really worth something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-champion/i-think-hopefully-we-ve-got-enough-brain-cells-left-to-decide-if-our/) [Will Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-champion/) [Browse all 1,644 Decide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first step in getting what you want from life-decide what you want.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Stein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want-from-life-decide-what-you-want/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decide" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want-from-life-decide-what-you-want/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/ben-stein-2703_decide_the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want_188556.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first step in getting what you want from life-decide what you want.” — Ben Stein", "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": "Ben Stein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first step in getting what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want-from-life-decide-what-you-want/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-first-step-in-getting-what-you-want-from-life-decide-what-you-want/#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 } } ] } ```