---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always had this unresolved desire to…"
description: "\"I've always had this unresolved desire to prove that I could get a Ph.D., or contribute something else to the world.\" — Diane Lane"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg"
---

#  I've always had this unresolved desire to prove that I…

![“I've always had this unresolved desire to prove that I could get a Ph.D., or contribute something else to the world.” quote by Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg)

> “I've always had this unresolved desire to prove that I could get a Ph.D., or contribute something else to the world.”

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

## About This Quote

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

It expresses a lingering ambition to achieve a Ph.D. or make a meaningful contribution, reflecting a drive for intellectual accomplishment.

**In simple terms:** Desire for academic achievement and impact.

Key Takeaway

Pursue meaningful goals.

Themes

ambition learning legacy

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic research
- creative projects
- philanthropy

Key Concepts

education career personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What contribution do you envision?
- How can you balance ambition with reality?

A Different Perspective

May face practical barriers like time or resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I had a desire to prove to myself that I was actually in control - that I wasnt a puppet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-had-a-desire-to-prove-to-myself-that-i-was-actually-in-control-that-2/)

[Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/)

> [I've always had a strong desire to prove myself against odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blanda/i-ve-always-had-a-strong-desire-to-prove-myself-against-odds/)

[George Blanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blanda/)

> [I have no desire to prove anything by my work. I have never used it as an outlet or as a means of expressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/i-have-no-desire-to-prove-anything-by-my-work-i-have-never-used-it-as/)

[Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/)

> [I love being physical, but I don't have any desire to prove myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-torv/i-love-being-physical-but-i-don-t-have-any-desire-to-prove-myself/)

[Anna Torv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-torv/)

> [I had a desire to prove to myself that I was actually in control - that I wasn't a puppet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-had-a-desire-to-prove-to-myself-that-i-was-actually-in-control-that/)

[Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/)

> [I have found that what drives me is the desire to prove, to myself and to my peers, that I can do what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-snyder/i-have-found-that-what-drives-me-is-the-desire-to-prove-to-myself-and/)

[Daniel Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-snyder/)

> [I have no desire to prove anything by dancing ... I just dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/i-have-no-desire-to-prove-anything-by-dancing-i-just-dance/)

[Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/)

> [I have always had a desire to prove people that looked past me wrong, whether it was because I was a female trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayna-baszler/i-have-always-had-a-desire-to-prove-people-that-looked-past-me-wrong/)

[Shayna Baszler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shayna-baszler/)

> [We all make a difference and have something to contribute to the world. Before you judge and bully someone, consider their struggle and story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heaven/we-all-make-a-difference-and-have-something-to-contribute-to-the/)

Heaven

> [Each child brings so much joy and hope into the world, and that is reason enough for being here. As you grow older, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/each-child-brings-so-much-joy-and-hope-into-the-world-and-that-is/)

[Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/)

> [It is for you to decide what you will contribute to this world... Will you contribute to the love that is in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/it-is-for-you-to-decide-what-you-will-contribute-to-this-world-will/)

[Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/)

> [The bottom line of any country is: what did we contribute to the world? We contributed Louis Armstrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bennett/the-bottom-line-of-any-country-is-what-did-we-contribute-to-the-world/)

[Tony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bennett/)

> [Figure out what you are meant to contribute to the world and make sure you contribute it. If this requires public speaking or networking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/figure-out-what-you-are-meant-to-contribute-to-the-world-and-make/)

[Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/)

> [When you scratch the surface, every one of us has something that we deeply want to contribute to the world. All we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/when-you-scratch-the-surface-every-one-of-us-has-something-that-we/)

[Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/)

> [“I care about you as people, and I believe you are capable of great things. Each of you will contribute something to this world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-l-rodriguez/i-care-about-you-as-people-and-i-believe-you-are-capable-of-great/)

Cindy L. Rodriguez

## More by Diane Lane

> [I never wished that I was a superstar. Hell, I never even wished that I was an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-never-wished-that-i-was-a-superstar-hell-i-never-even-wished-that-i/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [Love is saying you're sorry. It's the opposite of those cherub posters that say, 'Love is never having to say you're sorry.' Wrong! Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/love-is-saying-you-re-sorry-it-s-the-opposite-of-those-cherub-posters/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [Independent films have a very different cachet than success films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/independent-films-have-a-very-different-cachet-than-success-films/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [The largest room in the world is room for improvement. You know, some mornings my thighs are fat. Some days my hair looks great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/the-largest-room-in-the-world-is-room-for-improvement-you-know-some/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I was the only kid in Manhattan I knew whose parents had a car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-was-the-only-kid-in-manhattan-i-knew-whose-parents-had-a-car/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [That's why they call it work, because it's not what you'd prefer to do with your free time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/that-s-why-they-call-it-work-because-it-s-not-what-you-d-prefer-to-do/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I'm not a bad parent and partner, even if I make a thousand mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-m-not-a-bad-parent-and-partner-even-if-i-make-a-thousand-mistakes/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [We live our whole lives, and in our dying moment, we have to ask ourselves, 'What did we really care about? What impact did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/we-live-our-whole-lives-and-in-our-dying-moment-we-have-to-ask/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [When I was about seven, I started touring the globe as part of New York's La MaMa theater company - without my parents!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/when-i-was-about-seven-i-started-touring-the-globe-as-part-of-new/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I had a hard time calling Laurence Oliver 'Larry.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-had-a-hard-time-calling-laurence-oliver-larry/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I'm done saying 'I'm sorry I wasn't who you needed or wanted me to be' to everybody in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-m-done-saying-i-m-sorry-i-wasn-t-who-you-needed-or-wanted-me-to-be/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [A grandparent will tell you, "Have fun!" and a parent will tell you, "Be safe, do a good job, make me proud." You know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/a-grandparent-will-tell-you-have-fun-and-a-parent-will-tell-you-be/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I take comfort that aging happens to everybody. It's part of life. Aging offers great lessons in dignity, since the indignity wins in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-take-comfort-that-aging-happens-to-everybody-it-s-part-of-life/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I grew up loving horses. I was relatively obsessed, starting with my rocking horse at age 2, all the way through my painting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-grew-up-loving-horses-i-was-relatively-obsessed-starting-with-my/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [I've got a lot of mileage, and I love my mileage. I wouldn't trade a mile of that for a minute of being younger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-ve-got-a-lot-of-mileage-and-i-love-my-mileage-i-wouldn-t-trade-a/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

[Explore all 127 Diane Lane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've always had this unresolved desire to prove that I could get a Ph.D., or contribute something else to the world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Diane Lane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-to-prove-that-i-could-get-a-ph/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-to-prove-that-i-could-get-a-ph/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c43/diane-lane-3573_desire_i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-t_2526334.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've always had this unresolved desire to prove that I could get a Ph.D., or contribute something else to…” — Diane Lane",
                "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": "Diane Lane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've always had this unresolved desire...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-to-prove-that-i-could-get-a-ph/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-ve-always-had-this-unresolved-desire-to-prove-that-i-could-get-a-ph/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
