--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our minds, like the needle in that…" description: "\"Our minds, like the needle in that compass, can focus on a variety of subjects throughout the day. But in the end, when they're left alone to settle, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/bill-hybels-2766_affection_our-minds-like-the-needle-in-that-compas_1055760.jpg" --- # Our minds, like the needle in that compass, can focus on a… ![“Our minds, like the needle in that compass, can focus on a variety of subjects throughout the day. But in the end, when they're left alone to settle, they'll focus on the objects of our greatest affection.” quote by Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/bill-hybels-2766_affection_our-minds-like-the-needle-in-that-compas_1055760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/bill-hybels-2766_affection_our-minds-like-the-needle-in-that-compas_1055760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/bill-hybels-2766_affection_our-minds-like-the-needle-in-that-compas_1055760.jpg) > “Our minds, like the needle in that compass, can focus on a variety of subjects throughout the day. But in the end, when they're left alone to settle, they'll focus on the objects of our greatest affection.” [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes how the mind drifts among many topics but ultimately settles on what we love most. **In simple terms:** Our thoughts gravitate toward cherished things. Key Takeaway Focus on what truly matters. Themes attention focus affection Mood thoughtful motivational Type self‑help psychological When to use this quote - goal setting - relationship building - creative projects Key Concepts cognitive psychology values prioritization Questions to Reflect On - What do you spend most mental energy on? - How can you redirect focus to your passions? A Different Perspective Distractions can dominate attention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compass/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) ## Related quotes > [You're as good as your next game, not your previous, so I'll focus on the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/you-re-as-good-as-your-next-game-not-your-previous-so-i-ll-focus-on/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In the midst of all this great variety of subjects, an individual cannot attain to perfection in each, because it is scarcely in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/in-the-midst-of-all-this-great-variety-of-subjects-an-individual/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Indeed, mysteries lead readers through an endless variety of subjects and settings; yet sometimes devotees of detection seek to be transported though another dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/indeed-mysteries-lead-readers-through-an-endless-variety-of-subjects/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [Would it not be better to simplify the system of taxation rather than to spread it over such a variety of subjects and pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/would-it-not-be-better-to-simplify-the-system-of-taxation-rather-than/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [No other practice will make one more attractive in conversation than to be well-read in a variety of subjects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/no-other-practice-will-make-one-more-attractive-in-conversation-than/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [She was at that crucial age when a women begins to regret having stayed faithful to a husband she never really loved, when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/she-was-at-that-crucial-age-when-a-women-begins-to-regret-having/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [Your heart like a hawk-mouth in the sun, your heart like a ship on an atoll, your heart like a compass needle driven mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-aragon/your-heart-like-a-hawk-mouth-in-the-sun-your-heart-like-a-ship-on-an/) [Louis Aragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-aragon/) > [No woman need fear the effect of absence upon the man who honestly loves her. The needle of the compass, regardless of intervening seas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/no-woman-need-fear-the-effect-of-absence-upon-the-man-who-honestly/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [My inside self and my outside self used to match. A compass needle pointed true north. Now the needle spins around and around indicating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/my-inside-self-and-my-outside-self-used-to-match-a-compass-needle/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [It's true: Everyone needs a reason to stay alive -- someone who justifies your existence. Someone who loves you. Not beyond all reason. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/it-s-true-everyone-needs-a-reason-to-stay-alive-someone-who-justifies/) [Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/) > [Having an exciting destination is like setting a needle in your compass. From then on, the compass knows only one point - its ideal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/having-an-exciting-destination-is-like-setting-a-needle-in-your/) [Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/) > [the creative mind is as delicately balanced as the needle trembling in a compass; the presence of antagonistic metal deflects it instantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-s-richmond/the-creative-mind-is-as-delicately-balanced-as-the-needle-trembling/) Grace S. Richmond > [Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/like-a-compass-needle-that-points-north-a-man-s-accusing-finger/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/slowly-very-slowly-like-two-unhurried-compass-needles-the-feet-turned/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [You see, that hunger inside us, that ambition, or whatever you may choose to call it, is a compass really, a compass of true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-koja/you-see-that-hunger-inside-us-that-ambition-or-whatever-you-may/) [Kathe Koja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-koja/) ## More by Bill Hybels > [Those churches have closed down or have been merged with a church that has a more positive vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/those-churches-have-closed-down-or-have-been-merged-with-a-church/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Humility enables us to learn from each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/humility-enables-us-to-learn-from-each-other/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [It’s amazing how many coincidences occur when one begins to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/it-s-amazing-how-many-coincidences-occur-when-one-begins-to-pray/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [You can live and lead small, live and lead safe, live and lead selfishly, or you can pursue a grander vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/you-can-live-and-lead-small-live-and-lead-safe-live-and-lead/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Simplified living is about more than doing less. It’s being who God called us to be, with a wholehearted, single-minded focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/simplified-living-is-about-more-than-doing-less-it-s-being-who-god/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Self awareness allows you to self-correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/self-awareness-allows-you-to-self-correct/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [The mark of community is not the absence of conflict. It's the presence of a reconciling spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/the-mark-of-community-is-not-the-absence-of-conflict-it-s-the/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Jesus is not directing the angelic choir, taking long naps, or doing crossword puzzles. He is completely focused on building his church, the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/jesus-is-not-directing-the-angelic-choir-taking-long-naps-or-doing/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Effective leaders do not fear passion. They welcome it. But from time to time passionate discussions digress into personal attacks, and real people get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/effective-leaders-do-not-fear-passion-they-welcome-it-but-from-time/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Religion is spelled 'D-O', because it consists of the things people do try to somehow gain God's forgiveness and favor. But the problem is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/religion-is-spelled-d-o-because-it-consists-of-the-things-people-do/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [If I've learned anything about prayer, it's that desperation drives discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/if-i-ve-learned-anything-about-prayer-it-s-that-desperation-drives/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [The Church will never reach her full redemptive potential until men and women with the leadership gift step up and lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/the-church-will-never-reach-her-full-redemptive-potential-until-men/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [People will not follow a leader with moral incongruities for long. Every time you compromise character you compromise leadership. The foundation of firm leadership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/people-will-not-follow-a-leader-with-moral-incongruities-for-long/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [I look at tens of thousands of church leaders who still do need a bit of an awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/i-look-at-tens-of-thousands-of-church-leaders-who-still-do-need-a-bit/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [You can never underestimate the amount of energy and frequency you must give to vision casting. You can never underestimate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/you-can-never-underestimate-the-amount-of-energy-and-frequency-you/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) [Explore all 151 Bill Hybels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our minds, like the needle in that compass, can focus on a variety of subjects throughout the day. 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