---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You always overestimate what you can get…"
description: "\"You always overestimate what you can get done in a year and underestimate what you can get done in 10 years.\" — Bill Gates"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg"
---

#  You always overestimate what you can get done in a year…

![“You always overestimate what you can get done in a year and underestimate what you can get done in 10 years.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg)

> “You always overestimate what you can get done in a year and underestimate what you can get done in 10 years.”

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People overestimate short-term productivity and underestimate long-term potential.

**In simple terms:** Short-term overestimates, long-term underestimates.

Key Takeaway

Plan for long-term growth.

Themes

productivity time perception planning

Mood

strategic hopeful

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- investment
- skill development

Key Concepts

future thinking goal setting

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance short and long goals?
- What habits support decade-long achievements?

A Different Perspective

Long-term plans can be disrupted by unforeseen events.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/most-people-overestimate-what-they-can-do-in-one-year-and/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [“A leader would think that most people overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-d-calin/a-leader-would-think-that-most-people-overestimate-what-they-can-do/)

[Elena D. Calin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-d-calin/)

> [In business, we say that people overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a decade. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/in-business-we-say-that-people-overestimate-what-you-can-do-in-a-year/)

[Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/)

> [“As Bill Gates famously said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-scott/as-bill-gates-famously-said-most-people-overestimate-what-they-can-do/)

[S.J. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-scott/)

> [“Most people overestimate what they can do in a year and they underestimate what they can do in two or three decades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/most-people-overestimate-what-they-can-do-in-a-year-and-they/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/once-you-have-mastered-time-you-will-understand-how-true-it-is-that/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [People often overestimate what will happen in the next two years and underestimate what will happen in ten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/people-often-overestimate-what-will-happen-in-the-next-two-years-and/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-always-overestimate-the-change-that-will-occur-in-the-next-two/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [They say to never underestimate anyone, but they don't tell you to overestimate people either, so I'm just going to do me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-adesanya/they-say-to-never-underestimate-anyone-but-they-don-t-tell-you-to/)

[Israel Adesanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-adesanya/)

> [To overestimate the originality of one's thoughts is perhaps a less serious defect than being unaware of their newness. There is a more pronounced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/to-overestimate-the-originality-of-one-s-thoughts-is-perhaps-a-less/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“We tend to overestimate the impact of technology in the short term and underestimate it in the long term.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-amara/we-tend-to-overestimate-the-impact-of-technology-in-the-short-term/)

Roy Amara

> [“Make way for the sweetest humiliation when you underestimate their intelligence while overestimating your knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/make-way-for-the-sweetest-humiliation-when-you-underestimate-their/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [I never overestimate the audience, nor do I underestimate them. I just have a very rational idea as to who we’re dealing with, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-never-overestimate-the-audience-nor-do-i-underestimate-them-i-just/)

[Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/)

> [The size of your problem is nothing compared with your ability to solve them. Don't overestimate your problems and underestimate yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-size-of-your-problem-is-nothing-compared-with-your-ability-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“To overestimate myself is to make myself my own god. To underestimate myself is to make myself my own demon. And the curse of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-overestimate-myself-is-to-make-myself-my-own-god-to-underestimate/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

## More by Bill Gates

> [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

[Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## More Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [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/)

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

Browse all 25,653 Done quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You always overestimate what you can get done in a year and underestimate what you can get done in 10 years.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Gates"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get-done-in-a-year-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get-done-in-a-year-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e78/bill-gates-137_done_you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get_1352457.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You always overestimate what you can get done in a year and underestimate what you can get done in 10 years.” — Bill Gates",
                "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 Gates",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You always overestimate what you can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get-done-in-a-year-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/you-always-overestimate-what-you-can-get-done-in-a-year-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
