--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Years of concentration solely on work and…" description: "\"Years of concentration solely on work and individual success meant that in his retirement [Lyndon Johnson] could find no solace in family, in recreatio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cb/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_concentration_years-of-concentration-solely-on-work-an_220664.png" --- # Years of concentration solely on work and individual… ![“Years of concentration solely on work and individual success meant that in his retirement [Lyndon Johnson] could find no solace in family, in recreation, in sports or in hobbies. It was almost as if the hole in his heart was so large that even the love of a family, without work, could not fill it.” quote by Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cb/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_concentration_years-of-concentration-solely-on-work-an_220664.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cb/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_concentration_years-of-concentration-solely-on-work-an_220664.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cb/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_concentration_years-of-concentration-solely-on-work-an_220664.png) > “Years of concentration solely on work and individual success meant that in his retirement \[Lyndon Johnson\] could find no solace in family, in recreation, in sports or in hobbies. It was almost as if the hole in his heart was so large that even the love of a family, without work, could not fill it.” [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights how an over‑focus on work can leave emotional voids that family and leisure cannot fill. **In simple terms:** Work obsession creates an empty heart. Key Takeaway Seek balance beyond career. Themes work family loneliness retirement Mood thoughtful somber Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - family time - retirement counseling Key Concepts psychology life balance meaning Questions to Reflect On - What does fulfillment mean beyond work? - How can one rebuild connections after a career? A Different Perspective The quote may oversimplify complex personal histories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-love/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hobbies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobbies/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-success/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Recreation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recreation/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Solace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solace/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Lyndon Johnson is still the most formidable, fascinating, frustrating, irritating individual I think I've ever known in my entire life. He was huge, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/lyndon-johnson-is-still-the-most-formidable-fascinating-frustrating/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [It took me five years on Lyndon Johnson, ten years on the Kennedys, six years on the Roosevelts. Inevitably, you get shaped by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/it-took-me-five-years-on-lyndon-johnson-ten-years-on-the-kennedys-six/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [My recurring nightmare is that someday I will be faced with a panel: Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson all of whom will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/my-recurring-nightmare-is-that-someday-i-will-be-faced-with-a-panel/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I think with Lyndon Johnson, the most important thing I learned was that he never had the sense of security that comes from inside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-think-with-lyndon-johnson-the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“For better than thirty years, as a working historian, I have written on leaders I knew, such as Lyndon Johnson, and interviewed intimates of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/for-better-than-thirty-years-as-a-working-historian-i-have-written-on/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Even though Lyndon Johnson's presidency was in many ways scarred forever by the war in Vietnam, and destroyed in a lot of ways, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/even-though-lyndon-johnson-s-presidency-was-in-many-ways-scarred/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [It makes common sense to be managed by results and it's freeing to know you are in control of your own destiny. I'm so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-webb/it-makes-common-sense-to-be-managed-by-results-and-it-s-freeing-to/) [Maynard Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-webb/) > [Having success as a team is much more fun than having individual success. I have learned this lesson through the many wins I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-ertz/having-success-as-a-team-is-much-more-fun-than-having-individual/) [Zach Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-ertz/) > [The marketplace obliges men, whether they will or not, in pursuing their own selfish interests, to connect the general good with their own individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-marketplace-obliges-men-whether-they-will-or-not-in-pursuing/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“What now strikes as remarkable about the new moneyed class of the nineteenth century is their complete irresponsibility;they see everything in terms of individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/what-now-strikes-as-remarkable-about-the-new-moneyed-class-of-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [You tell them what a happy ending consists of, which is always individual success. You tell them that nothing irrational exists in this world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/you-tell-them-what-a-happy-ending-consists-of-which-is-always/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Our flawed mechanisms of perception and thought are not a cause for grief, but an opportunity to evolve, for an internal evolution of consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/our-flawed-mechanisms-of-perception-and-thought-are-not-a-cause-for/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [“The measure of an individual's success should be determined by deeds, not dollars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-boudreau/the-measure-of-an-individual-s-success-should-be-determined-by-deeds/) [Al Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-boudreau/) > [You want to have individual success like anybody else, but as long as we win, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-arenado/you-want-to-have-individual-success-like-anybody-else-but-as-long-as/) [Nolan Arenado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-arenado/) > [Enthusiasm is a vital element toward the individual success of every man or woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-hilton/enthusiasm-is-a-vital-element-toward-the-individual-success-of-every/) [Conrad Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-hilton/) ## More by Doris Kearns Goodwin > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re-never-going-to-get-it-all/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [People will love him (Theodore Roosevelt) for the enemies he has made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/people-will-love-him-theodore-roosevelt-for-the-enemies-he-has-made/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“This extreme treatment was among the proliferating regimens developed in response to the stunning increase in nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/this-extreme-treatment-was-among-the-proliferating-regimens-developed/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“I could carve out of a banana a judge with more backbone than that,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-could-carve-out-of-a-banana-a-judge-with-more-backbone-than-that/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“And Lincoln, as would be evidenced throughout his presidency, was a master of timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/and-lincoln-as-would-be-evidenced-throughout-his-presidency-was-a/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Don’t hit till you have to; but, when you do hit, hit hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/don-t-hit-till-you-have-to-but-when-you-do-hit-hit-hard/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“After ministering each day to the hundreds of young men who had endured ghastly wounds, submitted to amputations without anesthesia, and often died without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/after-ministering-each-day-to-the-hundreds-of-young-men-who-had/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [The value that I found in interviewing was for an educational experience, just to know that history itself is subjective, that you can't say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-value-that-i-found-in-interviewing-was-for-an-educational/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Excitement about things became a habit, a part of my personality, and the expectation that I should enjoy new experiences often engendered the enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/excitement-about-things-became-a-habit-a-part-of-my-personality-and/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“All the cartoonists at heart liked him, and there was seldom or never anything bitter or really unfriendly in their portrayals of him; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/all-the-cartoonists-at-heart-liked-him-and-there-was-seldom-or-never/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I think that's still what the American Dream means: that with perseverance, with hard work, you can become something, that the classes won't prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-think-that-s-still-what-the-american-dream-means-that-with/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I shall always be grateful for this curious love of history, allowing me to spend a lifetime looking back into the past, allowing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-shall-always-be-grateful-for-this-curious-love-of-history-allowing/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Simon Cameron: “I loved my brother, as only the poor and lonely can love those with whom they have toiled and struggled up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/simon-cameron-i-loved-my-brother-as-only-the-poor-and-lonely-can-love/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) [Explore all 196 Doris Kearns Goodwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## More Concentration quotes > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [It is a good practice to write at least on page of mantra daily. Many people get better concentration by writing than by chanting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/it-is-a-good-practice-to-write-at-least-on-page-of-mantra-daily-many/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [“Exceptional work is always associated with periods of deep concentration. Nothing excellent ever comes from a scattered effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-horsley/exceptional-work-is-always-associated-with-periods-of-deep/) [Kevin Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-horsley/) > [Mental attitude and concentration are the keys to pitching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferguson-jenkins/mental-attitude-and-concentration-are-the-keys-to-pitching/) Ferguson Jenkins > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I can let go of a lot of stuff, but I focus on things I think I should, like dancing, because it takes 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuan-yuan-tan/i-can-let-go-of-a-lot-of-stuff-but-i-focus-on-things-i-think-i-should/) [Yuan Yuan Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuan-yuan-tan/) > [“Apply the blacksmith's homely principle when you are speaking. If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/apply-the-blacksmith-s-homely-principle-when-you-are-speaking-if-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Mindfulness develops attention, concentration and the ability to simply be present with little or no future orientation, past orientation or goal orientation—choosing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gawler/mindfulness-develops-attention-concentration-and-the-ability-to/) Ian Gawler > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [... programming requires more concentration than other activities. It's the reason programmers get upset about 'quick interruptions' - such interruptions are tantamount to asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcconnell/programming-requires-more-concentration-than-other-activities-it-s/) [Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcconnell/) > [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Our mind is a flowing something. It oscillates. Concentration is merely the continuous return to the same problem from a million angles… So my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-laubach/our-mind-is-a-flowing-something-it-oscillates-concentration-is-merely/) [Frank Laubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-laubach/) [Browse all 1,154 Concentration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Years of concentration solely on work and individual success meant that in his retirement [Lyndon Johnson] could find no solace in family, in recreation, in sports or in hobbies. 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