---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having a sense of purpose is having a…"
description: "\"Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for.\" — Bryant H. McGill"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg"
---

#  Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A…

![“Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for.” quote by Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg)

> “Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for.”

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

## About This Quote

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

Purpose and identity are intertwined; setting goals gives direction and hope for personal growth.

**In simple terms:** Purpose defines self; goals give direction.

Key Takeaway

Define purpose to guide your life.

Themes

purpose identity goal setting

Mood

inspirational hopeful

Type

lecture quote

When to use this quote

- career planning
- education
- personal development

Key Concepts

self‑discovery motivation future planning

Questions to Reflect On

- What purpose drives you?
- How do you align goals with your sense of self?

A Different Perspective

Without clear purpose, goals may feel empty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Course Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course-plot-2161034/) [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Having Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-sense-525905/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-having-422850/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/) [Sense Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-purpose/) [Sense Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-self/)

## Related quotes

> [Having a sense of purpose in life is the best way to avoid dispair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/having-a-sense-of-purpose-in-life-is-the-best-way-to-avoid-dispair/)

[Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/)

> [God had a PURPOSE for creating Eve for Adam. People are doing a lot of dating without any real purpose, and having a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/god-had-a-purpose-for-creating-eve-for-adam-people-are-doing-a-lot-of/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“The whole purpose of having a party is to have fun one needs to understand that it's not just about free snacks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suraj-gyawali/the-whole-purpose-of-having-a-party-is-to-have-fun-one-needs-to/)

[Suraj Gyawali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suraj-gyawali/)

> [“What would be the purpose of having an imagination and not using it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-hanna/what-would-be-the-purpose-of-having-an-imagination-and-not-using-it/)

[Janice Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-hanna/)

> [The purpose of having the title 'World-Teacher' is to acknowledge, to show, the condition of mind and heart when you have achieved. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/the-purpose-of-having-the-title-world-teacher-is-to-acknowledge-to/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“The whole purpose of having a party is to have fun. It's not just about free snacks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suraj-gyawali/the-whole-purpose-of-having-a-party-is-to-have-fun-it-s-not-just/)

[Suraj Gyawali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suraj-gyawali/)

> [After all, what is your host's purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/after-all-what-is-your-host-s-purpose-in-having-a-party-surely-not/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [“What's the purpose of having faith when you know bad things are bound to happen?' 'Then it wouldn't be called faith,' he said, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-d-jones/what-s-the-purpose-of-having-faith-when-you-know-bad-things-are-bound/)

[K.D. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-d-jones/)

> [“In no case should we abandon responsibility for our own choice-making or give someone else's conception of what we are more weight than our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-sinetar/in-no-case-should-we-abandon-responsibility-for-our-own-choice-making/)

[Marsha Sinetar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-sinetar/)

> [“Not only can depression separate you from yourself, if it lingers too long, as it did with Sally Brampton, you can lose your sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-dubin/not-only-can-depression-separate-you-from-yourself-if-it-lingers-too/)

[Nick Dubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-dubin/)

> [I will always be fashion. I try to pull it together. I think that comes from a sense of self. That's how you create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-jayne/i-will-always-be-fashion-i-try-to-pull-it-together-i-think-that-comes/)

[Erika Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-jayne/)

> [Figure out who you are separate from your family, and the man or woman you're in a relationship with. Find who you are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/figure-out-who-you-are-separate-from-your-family-and-the-man-or-woman/)

[Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/)

> [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Keep your sense of self; don't get caught up in what people want you to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/keep-your-sense-of-self-don-t-get-caught-up-in-what-people-want-you/)

[LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/)

> [There are those who receive as birthright an adequate or at least unquestioned sense of self and those who set out to reinvent themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/there-are-those-who-receive-as-birthright-an-adequate-or-at-least/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

## More by Bryant H. McGill

> [True education is limited to those people who would die without knowing, whereas the masses in the institutions are merely going through the motions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/true-education-is-limited-to-those-people-who-would-die-without/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [You reclaim your power by loving what you were once taught to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/you-reclaim-your-power-by-loving-what-you-were-once-taught-to-hate/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [It will feel impossible; like you are dying inside this is your soul crying out for life. It may take everything you have; every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/it-will-feel-impossible-like-you-are-dying-inside-this-is-your-soul/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Genius is always accompanied by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/genius-is-always-accompanied-by-enthusiasm/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [My self-esteem had been crushed through years of childhood bullying and serious abuses, which would take me decades to overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/my-self-esteem-had-been-crushed-through-years-of-childhood-bullying/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Good manners are appreciated as much as bad manners are abhorred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/good-manners-are-appreciated-as-much-as-bad-manners-are-abhorred/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Become empty to become complete, for it is the void that defines the form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/become-empty-to-become-complete-for-it-is-the-void-that-defines-the/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Dare to love every person, including yourself. Become the energy of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/dare-to-love-every-person-including-yourself-become-the-energy-of-love/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [A mistake made by many people with great convictions is that they will let nothing stand in the way of their views, not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/a-mistake-made-by-many-people-with-great-convictions-is-that-they/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [You are the artist and the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/you-are-the-artist-and-the-art/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [In America, educators punish those who actually think for themselves. There is only acceptance for popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/in-america-educators-punish-those-who-actually-think-for-themselves/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Hate controls everything it touches, but love sets everything it touches free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/hate-controls-everything-it-touches-but-love-sets-everything-it/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Let people speak. Let people disagree. Communicate. Listen. Have high-respect, if not for your opponent, then for your own comportment and conduct as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/let-people-speak-let-people-disagree-communicate-listen-have-high/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [While it is important for people to see your promise you must also remember that hope is the keeper of both happiness and disappointment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/while-it-is-important-for-people-to-see-your-promise-you-must-also/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Stop your worrying, panicking and stressing. Breathe. Remember, you made it this far through difficulties that seemed impossible. Remember how many times you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/stop-your-worrying-panicking-and-stressing-breathe-remember-you-made/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

[Explore all 158 Bryant H. McGill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

## More Destination quotes

> [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/)

[Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/)

> [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/)

[Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/)

> [Love is a voyage,not a destination ! &lt;3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-voyage-not-a-destination-3/)

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

> [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“The final destination is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-final-destination-is-death/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [India should emerge as a destination that attracts people to invest here, which, in turn, will give a boost to investment, industrial growth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/india-should-emerge-as-a-destination-that-attracts-people-to-invest/)

[Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/)

> [Do you want to make progress? If so, then take each problem not as a challenging rival, but as an encouraging friend of yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/do-you-want-to-make-progress-if-so-then-take-each-problem-not-as-a/)

[Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/)

> [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/)

[Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/)

> [Without a destination in mind, every road will be a dead end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/without-a-destination-in-mind-every-road-will-be-a-dead-end/)

[Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/)

> [“If you’ve been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt, isn’t it time to move on to a new destination? Don’t waste a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/if-you-ve-been-there-done-that-gotten-the-t-shirt-isn-t-it-time-to/)

[Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/)

> [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [Science sees the process of evolution from the outside, as one might a train of cars going by, and resolves it into the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/science-sees-the-process-of-evolution-from-the-outside-as-one-might-a/)

[John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/)

[Browse all 1,154 Destination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bryant H. McGill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-sense-of-self-a-course-to-plot/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Destination"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-sense-of-self-a-course-to-plot/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/bryant-h-mcgill-2612_destination_having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-se_1006803.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for.” — Bryant H. McGill",
                "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": "Bryant H. McGill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Having a sense of purpose is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-sense-of-self-a-course-to-plot/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/having-a-sense-of-purpose-is-having-a-sense-of-self-a-course-to-plot/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
