---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not defined by our limits, but by…"
description: "\"We are not defined by our limits, but by our potential,\" — Cathy McMorris Rodgers"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png"
---

#  We are not defined by our limits, but by our potential,

![“We are not defined by our limits, but by our potential,” quote by Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png)

> “We are not defined by our limits, but by our potential,”

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

## About This Quote

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

Potential defines us more than our current limitations.

**In simple terms:** Potential beats limits.

Key Takeaway

Focus on growth.

Themes

motivation self‑belief potential

Mood

optimistic encouraging

Type

motivational leadership

When to use this quote

- education
- career planning
- fitness

Key Concepts

psychology self‑improvement

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you turn potential into action?
- What limits are self‑imposed?

A Different Perspective

Potential can be unrealistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/) [Defined Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined-limits-1648862/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Limits Potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits-potential-742150/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potential/)

## Related quotes

> [Every stage of human life, except the last, is marked out by certain and defined limits; old age alone has no precise and determinate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/every-stage-of-human-life-except-the-last-is-marked-out-by-certain/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [ “If I remember rightly, you on one occasion defined my limits in a very precise fashion." "Yes," \[Watson\] answered, laughing. "It was a singular… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/if-i-remember-rightly-you-on-one-occasion-defined-my-limits-in-a-very/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“A person who limits his or her potential success will limit what he or she will do to create it and keep it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-cardone/a-person-who-limits-his-or-her-potential-success-will-limit-what-he/)

[Grant Cardone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-cardone/)

> [Success Corrupts and Limits Potential as Soon as You Start to Think You Could Do It Alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-belsky/success-corrupts-and-limits-potential-as-soon-as-you-start-to-think/)

[Scott Belsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-belsky/)

> [“No excuses will lead to no regrets which will give you no limits to your potential.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gordon/no-excuses-will-lead-to-no-regrets-which-will-give-you-no-limits-to/)

[James Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gordon/)

> [At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/at-electric-speed-all-forms-are-pushed-to-the-limits-of-their/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/each-of-us-has-much-more-hidden-inside-us-than-we-have-had-a-chance/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [Reveling in our opponents' missteps and losses drags us down as a country and diminishes our potential as people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/reveling-in-our-opponents-missteps-and-losses-drags-us-down-as-a/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [There is no well defined boundary line between honesty and dishonesty. The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/there-is-no-well-defined-boundary-line-between-honesty-and-dishonesty/)

[O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/)

> [The limits of sensory evolution in fish are defined very largely by their habitat. Water is physically supportive, carries some kinds of odour well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyall-watson/the-limits-of-sensory-evolution-in-fish-are-defined-very-largely-by/)

[Lyall Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyall-watson/)

> [When you limit a woman's potential, you limit your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-rose/when-you-limit-a-woman-s-potential-you-limit-your-own/)

[Charlie Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-rose/)

> [It's easier to limit yourself, but if you do, you will never reach your true potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-witty/it-s-easier-to-limit-yourself-but-if-you-do-you-will-never-reach-your/)

[Chris Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-witty/)

> [Our lifetime is short and limited, but the ideas, actions and thoughts we produce can easily remain unlimited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/our-lifetime-is-short-and-limited-but-the-ideas-actions-and-thoughts/)

[Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/)

> [Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/before-it-can-be-solved-a-problem-must-be-clearly-defined/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

## More by Cathy McMorris Rodgers

> [House Republican women are trailblazers in their own right, and we are focused on a bold, forward-looking agenda to restore a confident America, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/house-republican-women-are-trailblazers-in-their-own-right-and-we-are/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [If you look at the architecture of Washington, D.C., it is not by mistake that the dome over the Capitol is the very center…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/if-you-look-at-the-architecture-of-washington-d-c-it-is-not-by/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [The heavy hand of government and its rules are causing family businesses to shutter their doors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/the-heavy-hand-of-government-and-its-rules-are-causing-family/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [The American people, in their own families, they understand that you have to do that. You have to make the tough decisions. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/the-american-people-in-their-own-families-they-understand-that-you/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [Our goal is to reaffirm that government by the people, speaking through their elected representatives, is the best way to keep us free and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/our-goal-is-to-reaffirm-that-government-by-the-people-speaking/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [I've lived the American dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/i-ve-lived-the-american-dream/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [When I think of the limitless potential my young daughters, Grace and Brynn, will have as they grow into young women, I want my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/when-i-think-of-the-limitless-potential-my-young-daughters-grace-and/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [We operate in a world where you can have a package from Amazon arrive on your doorstep the same day; where Uber has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/we-operate-in-a-world-where-you-can-have-a-package-from-amazon-arrive/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [The Snake and Columbia river system is vital to the Pacific Northwest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/the-snake-and-columbia-river-system-is-vital-to-the-pacific-northwest/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [I think it is important that we respect that women have different political views.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/i-think-it-is-important-that-we-respect-that-women-have-different/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [At each point of our process to repeal Obamacare, we have not lost sight of our responsibility to the most vulnerable in our communities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/at-each-point-of-our-process-to-repeal-obamacare-we-have-not-lost/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [To ensure that America remains the leader in medical innovation, we must reduce the costs of developing life-saving drugs and ensure that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/to-ensure-that-america-remains-the-leader-in-medical-innovation-we/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [America has long been the land of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/america-has-long-been-the-land-of-immigrants/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [When our Founders created this great experiment in self-governance, the House of Representatives became, by design, the body closest to the people. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/when-our-founders-created-this-great-experiment-in-self-governance/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

> [We believe in a government that trusts people and doesn't limit where you finish because of where you started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/we-believe-in-a-government-that-trusts-people-and-doesn-t-limit-where/)

[Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

[Explore all 101 Cathy McMorris Rodgers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/)

## More Defined quotes

> [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

> [Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-is-not-something-that-can-be-defined-through-blunt-instruments/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/)

[Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/)

> [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/)

[D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/)

> [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [Marriage and the creation of families has been an integral part of our society since its creation; it should not be defined without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-foster-bennett/marriage-and-the-creation-of-families-has-been-an-integral-part-of/)

[Robert Foster Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-foster-bennett/)

> [Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/before-it-can-be-solved-a-problem-must-be-clearly-defined/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going/)

[Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/)

> [If you think about basic science or coming up with new theories of mathematics, these are not the kinds of things which are necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-think-about-basic-science-or-coming-up-with-new-theories-of/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [Sometimes, I get afraid it has defined me, that sense of grief, loss and illness. But actually, it is about allowing myself to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-get-afraid-it-has-defined-me-that-sense-of-grief-loss-and/)

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

> [the most terribly human moments - the ones we want to pretend never happened - are the very moments that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/the-most-terribly-human-moments-the-ones-we-want-to-pretend-never/)

[Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/)

> [“We don't have to be defined by the things we did or didn't do in our past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/we-don-t-have-to-be-defined-by-the-things-we-did-or-didn-t-do-in-our/)

[Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/)

> [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/)

[Philip Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-alston/)

[Browse all 1,532 Defined quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are not defined by our limits, but by our potential,",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cathy McMorris Rodgers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by-our-potential/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Defined"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by-our-potential/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b31/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-5397_defined_we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by_2722746.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are not defined by our limits, but by our potential,” — Cathy McMorris Rodgers",
                "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": "Cathy McMorris Rodgers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are not defined by our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by-our-potential/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/we-are-not-defined-by-our-limits-but-by-our-potential/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```