--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They all wanted something that i did not…" description: "\"“They all wanted something that i did not want and i would get it without wanting it, if it worked.”\" — Ernest Hemingway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50a/ernest-hemingway-83_wanted_they-all-wanted-something-that-i-did-not_2393587.jpg" --- # They all wanted something that i did not want and i would… ![“They all wanted something that i did not want and i would get it without wanting it, if it worked.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50a/ernest-hemingway-83_wanted_they-all-wanted-something-that-i-did-not_2393587.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50a/ernest-hemingway-83_wanted_they-all-wanted-something-that-i-did-not_2393587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50a/ernest-hemingway-83_wanted_they-all-wanted-something-that-i-did-not_2393587.jpg) > ““They all wanted something that i did not want and i would get it without wanting it, if it worked.”” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire for something unattainable can be fulfilled without longing if circumstances allow. **In simple terms:** Unwanted goals may be achieved accidentally. Key Takeaway Accept unexpected outcomes. Themes desire acceptance serendipity Mood thoughtful neutral Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - career opportunities - relationships - creative projects - financial gains Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle unexpected gains? - Can lack of desire affect satisfaction? A Different Perspective Unwanted success can bring new challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Did Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-want/) [Want Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-wanting-1843492/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) [Wanting Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-worked-5969671/) ## Related quotes > [“I wanted to write “I Want” because wanting is one of the things I want most in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-wanted-to-write-i-want-because-wanting-is-one-of-the-things-i-want/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Human happiness konsists in having what yu want, and wanting what yu have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/human-happiness-konsists-in-having-what-yu-want-and-wanting-what-yu/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Suffering is getting what you do not want while wanting what you do not get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/suffering-is-getting-what-you-do-not-want-while-wanting-what-you-do/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/it-s-not-having-what-you-want-it-s-wanting-what-you-ve-got/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [“Happiness is not doing what you want but wanting what you do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/happiness-is-not-doing-what-you-want-but-wanting-what-you-do/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Satisfaction isn't so much getting what you want as wanting what you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-myers/satisfaction-isn-t-so-much-getting-what-you-want-as-wanting-what-you/) [David Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-myers/) > [“Happiness is not about doing what you want. It's about wanting what you do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-stern/happiness-is-not-about-doing-what-you-want-it-s-about-wanting-what/) [Shawn Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-stern/) > [“I knew there were many side-roads but did not want one that would lead to nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-knew-there-were-many-side-roads-but-did-not-want-one-that-would/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Happiness is when you want nothing and you want to give. Where the wanting and desires end and the sharing begins, happiness is there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-when-you-want-nothing-and-you-want-to-give-where-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness isn't getting what you want, it's wanting what you got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/happiness-isn-t-getting-what-you-want-it-s-wanting-what-you-got/) [Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/) > [It's not about having what you want, it's about wanting what you got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-about-having-what-you-want-it-s-about-wanting-what-you-got/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness isn't getting what you want, its wanting what you got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-isn-t-getting-what-you-want-its-wanting-what-you-got/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whenever you start-give it your best. The opportunities are there to be anything you want to be. But wanting to be someone isn't enough;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/whenever-you-start-give-it-your-best-the-opportunities-are-there-to/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I know that someday, you'll want me to want you. When I'm wanting someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-that-someday-you-ll-want-me-to-want-you-when-i-m-wanting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The secret to happiness, of course, is not getting what you want; it’s wanting what you get,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/the-secret-to-happiness-of-course-is-not-getting-what-you-want-it-s/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) ## More by Ernest Hemingway > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“There was no wind, and, outside now of the warm air of the cave, heavy with smoke of both tobacco and charcoal, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-was-no-wind-and-outside-now-of-the-warm-air-of-the-cave-heavy/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. After all, God made the world in only six days and rested on the seventh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/creation-s-probably-overrated-after-all-god-made-the-world-in-only/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Viva my husband who was Mayor of this town”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/viva-my-husband-who-was-mayor-of-this-town/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The earth gets tired of being exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-earth-gets-tired-of-being-exploited/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after-and-what-is-immoral-is-what/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“We drove out along the coast road. There was the green of the headlands, the white, red-roofed villas, patches of forest, and the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-drove-out-along-the-coast-road-there-was-the-green-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Oh, darling, I've been so miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/oh-darling-i-ve-been-so-miserable/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write, and then I remember that it was always difficult,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-read-my-own-books-sometimes-to-cheer-me-when-it-is-hard-to-write/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“You find everything on earth at Harry's." "Yes, my Colonel. Except, possibly, happiness." "I'll damn well find happiness, too," the Colonel assured him. "Happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-find-everything-on-earth-at-harry-s-yes-my-colonel-except/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“No. It's bad for me. Cole Porter wrote the words and the music. This knowledge that you're going mad for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-it-s-bad-for-me-cole-porter-wrote-the-words-and-the-music-this/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“everything kills everything else in some way. Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive. The boy keeps me alive, he thought. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everything-kills-everything-else-in-some-way-fishing-kills-me-exactly/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Explore all 1,464 Ernest Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More Wanted quotes > [I would tell kids not be like me, but to try and be better than me. 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I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. 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