--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you know what you want, you will…" description: "\"If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you see it.\" — Bill Cosby" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg" --- # If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you… ![“If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you see it.” quote by Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg) > “If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you see it.” [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clarity of desire enables recognition of opportunities aligned with one's goals. **In simple terms:** Know what you want to spot it. Key Takeaway Define goals clearly to notice relevant chances. Themes goal‑setting awareness recognition Mood thoughtful motivational Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - relationship goals - shopping decisions Key Concepts psychology of desire decision making opportunity spotting Questions to Reflect On - What are your top three desires? - How do you differentiate true desire from fleeting wish? A Different Perspective Desires can be vague, leading to missed cues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [Ask yourself: Where do I want to go? Recognize where you are now, then figure out the steps to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-sylver/ask-yourself-where-do-i-want-to-go-recognize-where-you-are-now-then/) [Marshall Sylver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-sylver/) > [Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/if-you-don-t-know-what-you-want-you-will-probably-never-get-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [One of the principal reasons why so many fail to get what they want is because they do not definitely know what they want,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/one-of-the-principal-reasons-why-so-many-fail-to-get-what-they-want/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [If I want someone to recognize the gender identity I feel, I'd have to ask for that. I can't assume people will know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/if-i-want-someone-to-recognize-the-gender-identity-i-feel-i-d-have-to/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) > [I hope to create characters that people want to watch - and they either want to be or are, or it's something that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-pugh/i-hope-to-create-characters-that-people-want-to-watch-and-they-either/) [Florence Pugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-pugh/) > [Dear Ex…when you see me, I want you to recognize what you had, regret what you've lost, and realize what you're never getting back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-ex-when-you-see-me-i-want-you-to-recognize-what-you-had-regret/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are things in our blood that are just naturally passed down to us, whether we want to recognize them or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/there-are-things-in-our-blood-that-are-just-naturally-passed-down-to/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [With "The Office," they said, "We don't want anyone we recognize, so give us unknown actors," and I think that was the break that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-fischer/with-the-office-they-said-we-don-t-want-anyone-we-recognize-so-give/) [Jenna Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-fischer/) > [I want everyone to recognize and know me. I don't want bodyguards. I want to be able to go out into the masses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-briggs/i-want-everyone-to-recognize-and-know-me-i-don-t-want-bodyguards-i/) [Shannon Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-briggs/) > [When I sing a song, I want someone to recognize 'Now that's Dianne singing that song.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-reeves/when-i-sing-a-song-i-want-someone-to-recognize-now-that-s-dianne/) [Dianne Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-reeves/) > [I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-want-you-to-recognize-that-i-m-a-proud-monkey/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [Want to recognize a person's character? so give him mightiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/want-to-recognize-a-person-s-character-so-give-him-mightiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can only bite off so much, so you gotta know what you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-gore/you-can-only-bite-off-so-much-so-you-gotta-know-what-you-want-to-do/) [Lesley Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-gore/) > [Don't settle. Know what you want and reach for it. And if you don't know what you want, be patient. The answers will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/don-t-settle-know-what-you-want-and-reach-for-it-and-if-you-don-t/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) ## More by Bill Cosby > [Guys standing around and talking about Spanish fly: 'You know anything about Spanish fly?' 'No, tell me about it.' Well there's this girl Crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/guys-standing-around-and-talking-about-spanish-fly-you-know-anything/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [You come to my comedy show to be entertained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/you-come-to-my-comedy-show-to-be-entertained/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Pay off your student loan. Even if you don't have a job...Because when you finally get a job you're going to be one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/pay-off-your-student-loan-even-if-you-don-t-have-a-job-because-when/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Sex education may be a good idea in the schools, but I don't believe the kids should be given homework.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/sex-education-may-be-a-good-idea-in-the-schools-but-i-don-t-believe/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Civilization had too many rules for me, so I did my best to rewrite them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/civilization-had-too-many-rules-for-me-so-i-did-my-best-to-rewrite/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. Then you sit in their chair and the first thing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/dentists-tell-you-not-to-pick-your-teeth-with-any-sharp-metal-object/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [When a person has a gun, sometimes their mind clicks that this thing will win arguments and straighten people out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/when-a-person-has-a-gun-sometimes-their-mind-clicks-that-this-thing/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/the-truth-is-that-parents-are-not-really-interested-in-justice-they/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [“Parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/parents-are-not-really-interested-in-justice-they-just-want-quiet/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [God has a sense of humor though and he must see funny things in us. He must also have some love. We're still here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/god-has-a-sense-of-humor-though-and-he-must-see-funny-things-in-us-he/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [When you become senile, you won't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/when-you-become-senile-you-won-t-know-it/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [I feel that in-person contact with people is the most important thing in comedy. While I'm up on stage, I can actually put myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/i-feel-that-in-person-contact-with-people-is-the-most-important-thing/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [It is a point of pride for the American male to keep the same size Jockey shorts for his entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/it-is-a-point-of-pride-for-the-american-male-to-keep-the-same-size/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [“The past is a ghost, the future is a dream, and all we ever have is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/the-past-is-a-ghost-the-future-is-a-dream-and-all-we-ever-have-is-now/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Suddenly, this romantic agony was enriched by a less romantic one: I had to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, I couldn't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/suddenly-this-romantic-agony-was-enriched-by-a-less-romantic-one-i/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) [Explore all 393 Bill Cosby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [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/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you see it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Cosby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recognize-it-when-you-see-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recognize-it-when-you-see-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/bill-cosby-720_ifs_if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recog_358620.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you see it.” — Bill Cosby", "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": "Bill Cosby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you know what you want,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recognize-it-when-you-see-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recognize-it-when-you-see-it/#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 } } ] } ```