--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The aim is not for me to be right. The…" description: "\"The aim is not for me to be right. The aim is to make sure that we keep the focus on the people who are suffering. That's what we're here for.\" — Corne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/cornel-west-708_aim_the-aim-is-not-for-me-to-be-right-the-ai_548361.jpg" --- # The aim is not for me to be right. The aim is to make sure… ![“The aim is not for me to be right. The aim is to make sure that we keep the focus on the people who are suffering. That's what we're here for.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/cornel-west-708_aim_the-aim-is-not-for-me-to-be-right-the-ai_548361.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/cornel-west-708_aim_the-aim-is-not-for-me-to-be-right-the-ai_548361.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/cornel-west-708_aim_the-aim-is-not-for-me-to-be-right-the-ai_548361.jpg) > “The aim is not for me to be right. The aim is to make sure that we keep the focus on the people who are suffering. That's what we're here for.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The goal is not personal correctness but focusing on alleviating suffering, prioritizing humanitarian concerns over ego. **In simple terms:** Focus on helping those in pain, not being right. Key Takeaway Prioritize compassion over ego. Themes humanity ethics compassion social justice Mood hopeful determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - healthcare - policy making - community service - activism Key Concepts moral responsibility altruism Questions to Reflect On - What suffering can you address today? - How do you keep focus on others amid personal bias? A Different Perspective Balancing idealism with practical constraints can be tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [Journalism is just a gun. It’s only got one bullet in it, but if you aim right, that’s all you need. Aim it right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/journalism-is-just-a-gun-it-s-only-got-one-bullet-in-it-but-if-you/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [Two qualities are at the root of all meditation development: right effort and right aim—arousing effort to aim the mind toward the object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/two-qualities-are-at-the-root-of-all-meditation-development-right/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“Oh! to shoot for the stars if feels right. Aim for my heart if it feels right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maroon-5/oh-to-shoot-for-the-stars-if-feels-right-aim-for-my-heart-if-it-feels/) [Maroon 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maroon-5/) > [Many people have the right aim in life, they just never get around to pulling the trigger. The vision must be followed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/many-people-have-the-right-aim-in-life-they-just-never-get-around-to/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [Nobody can be whatever they want to be. No kid can do whatever they want to do. It's a total lie. But they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcavoy/nobody-can-be-whatever-they-want-to-be-no-kid-can-do-whatever-they/) [James McAvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcavoy/) > [It's fashionable to be indifferent to other people's suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/it-s-fashionable-to-be-indifferent-to-other-people-s-suffering/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Always aim for right and avoid doing wrong at all costs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/always-aim-for-right-and-avoid-doing-wrong-at-all-costs/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-must-not-only-aim-right-but-draw-the-bow-with-all-your-might/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [May cupid's aim be right on target if not you're screwed AGAIN!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicia-sauceda/may-cupid-s-aim-be-right-on-target-if-not-you-re-screwed-again/) [Felicia Sauceda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicia-sauceda/) > [“You aren't going to shoot me. You're just a Love Interest." "No, I'm not." I lower the gun and aim it at his right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cale-dietrich/you-aren-t-going-to-shoot-me-you-re-just-a-love-interest-no-i-m-not-i/) [Cale Dietrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cale-dietrich/) > [Why Don't you aim more to the right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hogan/why-don-t-you-aim-more-to-the-right/) [Ben Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hogan/) > [If your business is to grow and prosper, as a leader, you need to focus on people development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-your-business-is-to-grow-and-prosper-as-a-leader-you-need-to-focus/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [A focus on people's health and well-being must be the core of family planning research and policy. This may seem self-evident, but the realities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-simmons/a-focus-on-people-s-health-and-well-being-must-be-the-core-of-family/) [Ruth Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-simmons/) > [I've seen suffering first-hand, and we have to make sure we relieve people's suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-gomez/i-ve-seen-suffering-first-hand-and-we-have-to-make-sure-we-relieve/) [Jimmy Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-gomez/) > [Obamacare is failing and the American people are suffering because of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-johnson/obamacare-is-failing-and-the-american-people-are-suffering-because-of/) [Mike Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-johnson/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The aim is not for me to be right. The aim is to make sure that we keep the focus on the people who are suffering. 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