--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must always aim for the impossible; if…" description: "\"We must always aim for the impossible; if we lower our goal, we also diminish our effort.\" — Dorothy Day" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png" --- # We must always aim for the impossible; if we lower our… ![“We must always aim for the impossible; if we lower our goal, we also diminish our effort.” quote by Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png) > “We must always aim for the impossible; if we lower our goal, we also diminish our effort.” [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Striving for lofty goals fuels greater effort; lowering targets reduces both ambition and drive. **In simple terms:** High goals inspire high effort. Key Takeaway Aim high to maximize effort. Themes ambition effort goal-setting Mood determined inspired Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - personal projects - athletic training - creative endeavors Key Concepts psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - What ambitious goal could you set today? - How do you balance realism with aspiration? A Different Perspective Overly impossible goals may lead to burnout or discouragement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminish/) [Diminish Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diminish-effort-2246105/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goal Diminish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-diminish-2246106/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Impossible Lower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-lower-2246108/) [Lower Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lower-goal-2246107/) ## Related quotes > [There is no higher or lower goal. There is only one goal, Self-Realization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/there-is-no-higher-or-lower-goal-there-is-only-one-goal-self/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [Conversation augments pleasure and diminishes pain by our having shares in either; for silent woes are greatest, as silent satisfaction leas; since sometimes our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/conversation-augments-pleasure-and-diminishes-pain-by-our-having/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [You snipe so steady, you snub so snide, so rip and ready to diminish and deride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/you-snipe-so-steady-you-snub-so-snide-so-rip-and-ready-to-diminish/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [For you deal here above all with human life, and human life is sacred; no one may dare make an attempt upon it. Respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/for-you-deal-here-above-all-with-human-life-and-human-life-is-sacred/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [These fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-l-andersen/these-fiery-trials-are-designed-to-make-you-stronger-but-they-have/) [Neil L. Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-l-andersen/) > [As political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends correspondingly to increase. And the dictator will do well to encourage that freedom...it will help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/as-political-and-economic-freedom-diminishes-sexual-freedom-tends/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The practice of gratitude is incompatible with negative emotions and may actually diminish or deter such feelings as anger, bitterness, and greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/the-practice-of-gratitude-is-incompatible-with-negative-emotions-and/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [Our resources will diminish in the coming decades at a time when hunger for energy grows dramatically in China and other parts of Asia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-e-ott/our-resources-will-diminish-in-the-coming-decades-at-a-time-when/) [Hermann E. Ott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-e-ott/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [A poet who makes use of a worse word instead of a better, because the former fits the rhyme or the measure, though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/a-poet-who-makes-use-of-a-worse-word-instead-of-a-better-because-the/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [Maybe that will happen with other countries as well. And so, that's why one of the things that groups like mine that work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/maybe-that-will-happen-with-other-countries-as-well-and-so-that-s-why/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/commerce-diminishes-the-spirit-both-of-patriotism-and-military-defence/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“instead of accepting love's strength, we are trying to diminish it so that it fits the world in which we imagine we live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/instead-of-accepting-love-s-strength-we-are-trying-to-diminish-it-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I think you can train yourself to block out some of that pressure and replace it with confidence. It's about preparation, and the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rodgers/i-think-you-can-train-yourself-to-block-out-some-of-that-pressure-and/) [Aaron Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rodgers/) > [I am a little older and understand the nature of the business - the older you get the more your skills supposedly diminish, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-moss/i-am-a-little-older-and-understand-the-nature-of-the-business-the/) [Randy Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-moss/) ## More by Dorothy Day > [“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because-people-were-generally/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [We must recognize the fact that many Nazis, Marxists and Fascists believe passionately in their fundamental rightness, and allow nothing to hinder them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-recognize-the-fact-that-many-nazis-marxists-and-fascists/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“Now don't think I've lost my mind - but I'll tell you, I'll look at some of the cards I have, some of Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/now-don-t-think-i-ve-lost-my-mind-but-i-ll-tell-you-i-ll-look-at-some/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The Sexual Revolution is a complete rebellion against authority, natural and supernatural, even against the body and its needs, its natural functions of child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-sexual-revolution-is-a-complete-rebellion-against-authority/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Idealism in the young, I guess I'm saying, is curiosity as well as goodness trying to express itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/idealism-in-the-young-i-guess-i-m-saying-is-curiosity-as-well-as/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Voluntary poverty isn't going around with some burlap bag around you and imitating the poor. It means being indifferent to the material, doing as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/voluntary-poverty-isn-t-going-around-with-some-burlap-bag-around-you/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Women think with their whole bodies and they see things as a whole more than men do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/women-think-with-their-whole-bodies-and-they-see-things-as-a-whole/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [My whole life so far, my whole experience has been that our failure has been not to love enough. This conviction brought me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/my-whole-life-so-far-my-whole-experience-has-been-that-our-failure/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I think one of the things we must constantly keep in mind is, 'If anybody hits you on one cheek, turn the other.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/i-think-one-of-the-things-we-must-constantly-keep-in-mind-is-if/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [It is only through religion that communism can be achieved, and has been achieved over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/it-is-only-through-religion-that-communism-can-be-achieved-and-has/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The Communists in Cuba didn't assist Castro in his revolution. They weren't on the side of the students. They didn't do anything to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-communists-in-cuba-didn-t-assist-castro-in-his-revolution-they/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as well as our friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/dear-god-please-enlarge-our-hearts-to-love-each-other-to-love-our/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [A conversion is a lonely experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/a-conversion-is-a-lonely-experience/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The sense is always that community is natural to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-sense-is-always-that-community-is-natural-to-people/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“We must practice the presence of God. He said that when two or three are gathered together, there he is in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-practice-the-presence-of-god-he-said-that-when-two-or-three/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) [Explore all 220 Dorothy Day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) ## 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must always aim for the impossible; if we lower our goal, we also diminish our effort.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Day" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if-we-lower-our-goal-we-also/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aim" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if-we-lower-our-goal-we-also/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/dorothy-day-1629_aim_we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if_2638208.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must always aim for the impossible; if we lower our goal, we also diminish our effort.” — Dorothy Day", "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": "Dorothy Day", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We must always aim for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if-we-lower-our-goal-we-also/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-always-aim-for-the-impossible-if-we-lower-our-goal-we-also/#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 } } ] } ```