--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's how you know you're doing the…" description: "\"“That's how you know you're doing the right thing - it's so hard you want to give up.”\" — Emily McKay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg" --- # That's how you know you're doing the right thing - it's so… ![“That's how you know you're doing the right thing - it's so hard you want to give up.” quote by Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg) > ““That's how you know you're doing the right thing - it's so hard you want to give up.”” [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Doing the right thing feels hard, prompting a desire to quit, but perseverance shows its value. **In simple terms:** Hard work feels tough, but it's rewarding. Key Takeaway Persist through difficulty. Themes perseverance challenge motivation growth resilience Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career change - academic study - fitness training - creative projects Key Concepts psychology self‑discipline goal‑setting Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to keep going? - How do you recognize when to push or pause? A Different Perspective Hardship may cause burnout without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-right/) [Doing the right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-the-right-thing/) [Know Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-doing/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Thing Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-hard-358535/) [Vampires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vampires/) ## Related quotes > [Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/next-to-doing-the-right-thing-the-most-important-thing-is-to-let/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [As long as you know that you're doing the right thing, do not care about what other people think about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/as-long-as-you-know-that-you-re-doing-the-right-thing-do-not-care/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) > [That's what my mindset is, making the right play and doing the right thing each and every possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trae-young/that-s-what-my-mindset-is-making-the-right-play-and-doing-the-right/) [Trae Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trae-young/) > [If you scapegoat someone, it's a third party that will be aware of it. It won't be you. Because you will believe you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/if-you-scapegoat-someone-it-s-a-third-party-that-will-be-aware-of-it/) [Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/) > [Pissing people off doesn't mean you're doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/pissing-people-off-doesn-t-mean-you-re-doing-the-right-things-but/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/initiative-is-doing-the-right-thing-without-being-told/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [There’s a very comfortable techno-libertarian culture where you think you’re doing the right thing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-baker/there-s-a-very-comfortable-techno-libertarian-culture-where-you-think/) [Stewart Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-baker/) > [“success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-keller/success-is-about-doing-the-right-thing-not-about-doing-everything/) [Gary Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-keller/) > [Being trustworthy requires: Doing the right thing. And doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-peppers/being-trustworthy-requires-doing-the-right-thing-and-doing-things/) [Don Peppers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-peppers/) > [Sometimes you have to steer away from the crowd in order to be a better person. It's not always easy, that's for sure. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/sometimes-you-have-to-steer-away-from-the-crowd-in-order-to-be-a/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [“Health, peace of mind, peak performance, and success in any area of life all depend upon doing the right thing at the right time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobe-hanson/health-peace-of-mind-peak-performance-and-success-in-any-area-of-life/) [Tobe Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobe-hanson/) > [“Doing the right thing causes us to stand taller, dance more often, and step into life with more confidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patsy-clairmont/doing-the-right-thing-causes-us-to-stand-taller-dance-more-often-and/) [Patsy Clairmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patsy-clairmont/) > [Never let making a profit stand in the way of doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-jenkins/never-let-making-a-profit-stand-in-the-way-of-doing-the-right-thing/) [George W. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-jenkins/) > [You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/you-should-never-be-proud-of-doing-the-right-thing-you-should-just-do/) [Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/) > [Money will come to you when you are doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phillips/money-will-come-to-you-when-you-are-doing-the-right-thing/) [Michael Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phillips/) ## More by Emily McKay > [“Time crawls in the silence. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tock. Tock. Tock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/time-crawls-in-the-silence-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tock-tock/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“Most days Lily is the steady drumbeat. The rhythm of my heart. The repeating melody of the music in my head. But not today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/most-days-lily-is-the-steady-drumbeat-the-rhythm-of-my-heart-the/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“Carter may have just beaten the crap out of me, he may have shot me in the back, but he'd bought me Dr. Pepper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/carter-may-have-just-beaten-the-crap-out-of-me-he-may-have-shot-me-in/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“The Dean liked to remind us that those fences were there to keep the Ticks out as much as to keep us in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/the-dean-liked-to-remind-us-that-those-fences-were-there-to-keep-the/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“His presence makes me feel thin. Not model slender. But worn, like an old cotton housedress. Thin like a specimen pressed between two plates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/his-presence-makes-me-feel-thin-not-model-slender-but-worn-like-an/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“I worry about Lily, sluggish as she is. Will she see Carter's truths? Will he tell her? God knows she won't hear them. She's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/i-worry-about-lily-sluggish-as-she-is-will-she-see-carter-s-truths/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“The Vampires have a plan to take over the world?" I asked. I felt a bit dumb, gasping in surprise at every twist to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/the-vampires-have-a-plan-to-take-over-the-world-i-asked-i-felt-a-bit/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“What can I say to convince you that I'm on the up-and-up?" "Why don't you just start at the beginning and I'll stop you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/what-can-i-say-to-convince-you-that-i-m-on-the-up-and-up-why-don-t/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) > [“You just told me you didn't intend to love me. You didn't want to love me. You got yourself arrested to keep yourself away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/you-just-told-me-you-didn-t-intend-to-love-me-you-didn-t-want-to-love/) [Emily McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) [Explore all 10 Emily McKay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/) ## More Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) [Kitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) [Browse all 10,133 Doing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That's how you know you're doing the right thing - it's so hard you want to give up.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emily McKay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-right-thing-it-s-so-hard-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-right-thing-it-s-so-hard-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3d/emily-mckay-42030_doing_that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-rig_2915132.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That's how you know you're doing the right thing - it's so hard you want to give up.” — Emily McKay", "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": "Emily McKay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mckay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That's how you know you're doing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-right-thing-it-s-so-hard-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mckay/that-s-how-you-know-you-re-doing-the-right-thing-it-s-so-hard-you/#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 } } ] } ```