--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Italians have their priorities right…" description: "\"The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven, they do their work, but they really enjoy the day-to-day and they don't put off the enjoyment..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png" --- # The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven… ![“The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven, they do their work, but they really enjoy the day-to-day and they don't put off the enjoyment of the everyday for some future goal.” quote by Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png) > “The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven, they do their work, but they really enjoy the day-to-day and they don't put off the enjoyment of the everyday for some future goal.” [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Italians prioritize enjoying everyday life over postponing pleasure for future goals, balancing work and leisure. **In simple terms:** Enjoy today, not just tomorrow. Key Takeaway Live fully now. Themes balance leisure culture Mood content relaxed Type observational cultural When to use this quote - daily routines - vacations - work-life balance - travel planning Key Concepts hedonism mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you savor daily moments without sacrificing future security? - What small joys can you prioritize today? A Different Perspective May neglect long‑term planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day to day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-to-day/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-day/) [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Enjoyment Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment-everyday-3700029/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-goals/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Italians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italians/) [Italians Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italians-priorities-3700028/) [Italy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italy/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Priorities Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities-right-1227344/) [Put](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/put/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I think life awards you if have your priorities in the right place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-bemis/i-think-life-awards-you-if-have-your-priorities-in-the-right-place/) [Max Bemis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-bemis/) > [People who have a sense of peace that their priorities are in the right place also have a sense of humility and a realistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/people-who-have-a-sense-of-peace-that-their-priorities-are-in-the/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I keep a great organiser, I try to keep my priorities in the right place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/i-keep-a-great-organiser-i-try-to-keep-my-priorities-in-the-right/) [Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/) > [I'd like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/i-d-like-to-be-remembered-as-one-who-kept-my-priorities-in-the-right-2/) [S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [Respect was one thing. Survival was another. It was important that I kept my priorities in the right order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/respect-was-one-thing-survival-was-another-it-was-important-that-i/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [I’d like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order. We live in a changing world, but we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/i-d-like-to-be-remembered-as-one-who-kept-my-priorities-in-the-right/) [S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [Set your Priorities right. Set aside your fright. Set your eye on The Light. Get set! Fight the good fight. Get up and fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abegunde-sunday-o/set-your-priorities-right-set-aside-your-fright-set-your-eye-on-the/) [Abegunde Sunday O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abegunde-sunday-o/) > [What has impressed me the most about the Italians whose tables we've sat at is that they are traditional cooks but also outrageously innovative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/what-has-impressed-me-the-most-about-the-italians-whose-tables-we-ve/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [Mysterious power, whence hope ethereal springs! Sweet heavenly relic of eternal things! Inspiring oft deep thoughts of things divine: The past, the present, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parley-p-pratt/mysterious-power-whence-hope-ethereal-springs-sweet-heavenly-relic-of/) [Parley P. Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parley-p-pratt/) > [“To live only for some future goals is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here's where things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/to-live-only-for-some-future-goals-is-shallow-it-s-the-sides-of-the/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Because I run Kernel, my thoughts are focused on understanding how to improve our cognitive abilities. Of all our cognitive capacities, I see our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/because-i-run-kernel-my-thoughts-are-focused-on-understanding-how-to/) [Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/) > [A near win shifts our view of the landscape. It can turn future goals, which we tend to envision at a distance, into more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lewis/a-near-win-shifts-our-view-of-the-landscape-it-can-turn-future-goals/) [Sarah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lewis/) > [Look back take time to examine yourself, even when it's hard, especially when you don't feel like, stop and look back to see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/look-back-take-time-to-examine-yourself-even-when-it-s-hard/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [As a future goal, I just want to be one of those guys that is known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erick-green/as-a-future-goal-i-just-want-to-be-one-of-those-guys-that-is-known/) [Erick Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erick-green/) > [“It occurs to me now that we mostly live facing “forward” – toward the future. Goals stretch away before us; we reach them one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-barton/it-occurs-to-me-now-that-we-mostly-live-facing-forward-toward-the/) [Peter Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-barton/) ## More by Frances Mayes > [If you've got a plot the size of a car or a tiny yard in Italy, you're going to be growing tomatoes and basil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/if-you-ve-got-a-plot-the-size-of-a-car-or-a-tiny-yard-in-italy-you-re/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“Always, I liked the infinitive 'to go.' Let's go, let's go. let's really go. 'Andare' was the first verb I learned to conjugate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/always-i-liked-the-infinitive-to-go-let-s-go-let-s-go-let-s-really-go/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [ “\[As Garibaldi says,\] 'Sleep, my dear Chevalley, sleep, that is what Sicilians want, and they will always hate anyone who tries to wake them...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/as-garibaldi-says-sleep-my-dear-chevalley-sleep-that-is-what/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [All afternoon in the deck chair, I try to describe to my notebook the colors of the water and sky. How to translate sunlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/all-afternoon-in-the-deck-chair-i-try-to-describe-to-my-notebook-the/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [Life offers you a thousand chances... all you have to do is take one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/life-offers-you-a-thousand-chances-all-you-have-to-do-is-take-one/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [The Only Thing More Surprising Than the Chance She's Taking...Is Where It's Taking Her!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-only-thing-more-surprising-than-the-chance-she-s-taking-is-where/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [Anytime the perfume of orange and lemon groves wafts in the window; the human body has to feel suffused with a languorous well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/anytime-the-perfume-of-orange-and-lemon-groves-wafts-in-the-window/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [It’s daunting to find the language so foreign, so distant, but also so thrilling. One is absolved of responsibility when the language is incomprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/it-s-daunting-to-find-the-language-so-foreign-so-distant-but-also-so/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“There are reasons we congregate in these hot spots- to worship beauty and to feel its effects light up the electrolytes in the bloodstream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/there-are-reasons-we-congregate-in-these-hot-spots-to-worship-beauty/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“And my mother, whose radius of travel was short, tied the letters with ribbon and kept them in her desk, When you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/and-my-mother-whose-radius-of-travel-was-short-tied-the-letters-with/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [I got the idea that to write books would be the best way to spend a life. I never thought of anything else that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/i-got-the-idea-that-to-write-books-would-be-the-best-way-to-spend-a/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [ “\[As Chevalley says,\] 'Sicilians never want to improve for the simple reason that they think themselves perfect...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/as-chevalley-says-sicilians-never-want-to-improve-for-the-simple/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [In America, people are just so straightforward when they dislike things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/in-america-people-are-just-so-straightforward-when-they-dislike-things/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“At Bramasole, the first secret spot that draws me outside is a stump and board bench on a high terrace overlooking the lake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/at-bramasole-the-first-secret-spot-that-draws-me-outside-is-a-stump/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) > [“Writing a poem doubles, triples the experience or connection that initiated it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/writing-a-poem-doubles-triples-the-experience-or-connection-that/) [Frances Mayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) [Explore all 86 Frances Mayes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/) ## More Day to day quotes > [“There is a powerful difference between picturing an image that does not relate to you, and recalling something specific that you are connected with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-houge/there-is-a-powerful-difference-between-picturing-an-image-that-does/) [Adam Houge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-houge/) > [For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/for-the-meaning-of-life-differs-from-man-to-man-from-day-to-day-and/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [I try not to look too far ahead. I'm more about living day to day and working hard. I think it's great to visualize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/i-try-not-to-look-too-far-ahead-i-m-more-about-living-day-to-day-and/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [Put not off from day to day and from cycle to cycle, is the belief that ye will succeed in obtaining the mysteries when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/put-not-off-from-day-to-day-and-from-cycle-to-cycle-is-the-belief/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [“There is no shortcut for hard work that leads to effectiveness. You must stay disciplined because most of the work is behind the scenes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/there-is-no-shortcut-for-hard-work-that-leads-to-effectiveness-you/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [As a child, I certainly wanted to have hair that I could grow long and flip around. I no longer want that. My own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-okonedo/as-a-child-i-certainly-wanted-to-have-hair-that-i-could-grow-long-and/) [Sophie Okonedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-okonedo/) > [Each day is a step we make towards eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mcauley/each-day-is-a-step-we-make-towards-eternity-and-we-shall-continue/) [Catherine McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mcauley/) > [I want the government to provide the military so we don't get invaded by somebody and destroyed. I want the government to provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-want-the-government-to-provide-the-military-so-we-don-t-get-invaded/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-more-aware-you-become-the-more-you-shed-from-day-to-day-what-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [We forget today that Britain still depends for its livelihood and, indeed, its day-to-day survival, on the sea. But the Royal Navy is now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/we-forget-today-that-britain-still-depends-for-its-livelihood-and/) [John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/) > [“The woman next to you that looks really bad might be going through the toughest challenge ever with her teenage daughter; think about if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-morrison/the-woman-next-to-you-that-looks-really-bad-might-be-going-through/) [Barbara Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-morrison/) > [When you are so full that there is no emptiness in you, that you have started feeling the significance of the ordinary, day-to-day existence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-you-are-so-full-that-there-is-no-emptiness-in-you-that-you-have/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“My experiences in the Astronaut Corps had taught me that you never know what will happen from day to day. It’s best to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-melvin/my-experiences-in-the-astronaut-corps-had-taught-me-that-you-never/) [Leland Melvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-melvin/) > [I've never thought about the end of my career. I've had this growing motto in my life to live day to day - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-polamalu/i-ve-never-thought-about-the-end-of-my-career-i-ve-had-this-growing/) [Troy Polamalu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-polamalu/) [Browse all 1,000 Day to day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-to-day/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven, they do their work, but they really enjoy the day-to-day and they don't put off the enjoyment of the everyday for some future goal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frances Mayes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-italians-have-their-priorities-right-they-re-driven-they-do-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Day to day" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-italians-have-their-priorities-right-they-re-driven-they-do-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c60/frances-mayes-7779_day-to-day_the-italians-have-their-priorities-right_416311.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Italians have their priorities right: They're driven, they do their work, but they really enjoy the…” — Frances Mayes", "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": "Frances Mayes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mayes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Italians have their priorities right:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-italians-have-their-priorities-right-they-re-driven-they-do-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mayes/the-italians-have-their-priorities-right-they-re-driven-they-do-their/#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 } } ] } ```