--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to know which idea you're going to…" description: "\"I want to know which idea you're going to kill yourself trying to make successful, not which ideas have crossed your idle mind.\" — Guy Kawasaki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png" --- # I want to know which idea you're going to kill yourself… ![“I want to know which idea you're going to kill yourself trying to make successful, not which ideas have crossed your idle mind.” quote by Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png) > “I want to know which idea you're going to kill yourself trying to make successful, not which ideas have crossed your idle mind.” [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on a single, compelling idea rather than scattered thoughts to achieve success. **In simple terms:** Pick one idea and commit to it. Key Takeaway Choose and pursue one idea. Themes focus determination clarity productivity Mood motivational practical Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - startup development - project management - personal ambition Key Concepts entrepreneurship goal setting psychology Questions to Reflect On - What idea excites you enough to commit? - How do you avoid tunnel vision? A Different Perspective Over‑focus can cause missed opportunities; flexibility matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Idle Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idle-mind/) [Killing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-yourself/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know what idea is going to hit me when.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-peretti/i-don-t-know-what-idea-is-going-to-hit-me-when/) [Frank Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-peretti/) > [“You want to keep your little brother alive? Make sure you don't kill yourself while you're trying to save him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/you-want-to-keep-your-little-brother-alive-make-sure-you-don-t-kill/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [Don't kill yourself trying to please others because if u have to go that hard they dont deserve your friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-kill-yourself-trying-to-please-others-because-if-u-have-to-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You fight, work, sweat, nearly kill yourself, sometimes do kill yourself, trying to accomplish something — and you can’t. Not from any fault of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/you-fight-work-sweat-nearly-kill-yourself-sometimes-do-kill-yourself/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Around year seven or eight, you'd kill yourself when you realized Norm had to enter and you had to come up with a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-danson/around-year-seven-or-eight-you-d-kill-yourself-when-you-realized-norm/) [Ted Danson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-danson/) > [If you've gotten yourself into a situation when Clay Aiken is going to talk about his feelings with you, it's time to kill yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/if-you-ve-gotten-yourself-into-a-situation-when-clay-aiken-is-going/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [It's important to make a statement, but don't kill yourself over it. You have to make an effort, but not go overboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-roach/it-s-important-to-make-a-statement-but-don-t-kill-yourself-over-it/) [Alexandra Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-roach/) > [It was easy enough to kill yourself in a fit of despair. It was easy enough to play the martyr. It was harder to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-was-easy-enough-to-kill-yourself-in-a-fit-of-despair-it-was-easy/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Passing out while you try to kill yourself is like failing at failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddox/passing-out-while-you-try-to-kill-yourself-is-like-failing-at-failing/) [Maddox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddox/) > [In TV and movies, you kill yourself spending all this time to think up the symbolism or what if that deer that runs across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/in-tv-and-movies-you-kill-yourself-spending-all-this-time-to-think-up/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [If you really want to kill yourself, you get a gun and blow your head off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-luft/if-you-really-want-to-kill-yourself-you-get-a-gun-and-blow-your-head/) [Lorna Luft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-luft/) > [If you don't want anyone to know about your existence, you might as well kill yourself. You're taking up space, air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/if-you-don-t-want-anyone-to-know-about-your-existence-you-might-as/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Advice for a human. 87. Dark matter is needed to hold galaxies together. Your mind is a Galaxy. More dark than light. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/advice-for-a-human-87-dark-matter-is-needed-to-hold-galaxies-together/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [So he was deserted. The whole world was clamouring: Kill yourself, kill yourself, for our sakes. But why should he kill himself for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/so-he-was-deserted-the-whole-world-was-clamouring-kill-yourself-kill/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [You can kill time or kill yourself, it comes to the same thing in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-triolet/you-can-kill-time-or-kill-yourself-it-comes-to-the-same-thing-in-the/) [Elsa Triolet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-triolet/) ## More by Guy Kawasaki > [Don't worry, be crappy. Revolutionary means you ship and then test... Lots of things made the first Mac in 1984 a piece of crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/don-t-worry-be-crappy-revolutionary-means-you-ship-and-then-test-lots/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [In giving presentations, use the 10/20/30 rule…use only 10 slides, take 20 minutes maximum, and use at least 30-point fonts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/in-giving-presentations-use-the-10-20-30-rule-use-only-10-slides-take/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [What I lack in talent, I compensate with my willingness to grind it out. That's the secret of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/what-i-lack-in-talent-i-compensate-with-my-willingness-to-grind-it/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-mark-of-a-good-conversationalist-is-not-that-you-can-talk-a-lot/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [At the end of my life, I want to say that I made the world a better place because I raised good children, loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/at-the-end-of-my-life-i-want-to-say-that-i-made-the-world-a-better/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The higher you go in a company, the less oxygen there is, so supporting intelligent life becomes difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-higher-you-go-in-a-company-the-less-oxygen-there-is-so-supporting/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The record of what you do is forever recoverable because of Google. The lofty upside and scary downside makes reciprocity more important than ever.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-record-of-what-you-do-is-forever-recoverable-because-of-google/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [I think that no one, or very few, are born as good presenters. It's a skill that you learn. The key is the 10/20/30…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-think-that-no-one-or-very-few-are-born-as-good-presenters-it-s-a/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Pursuing your passions makes you more interesting, and interesting people are enchanting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/pursuing-your-passions-makes-you-more-interesting-and-interesting/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Entitlement is the opposite of enchantment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/entitlement-is-the-opposite-of-enchantment/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Revolutionary leaders have to care more about what they think of themselves than what the world thinks of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/revolutionary-leaders-have-to-care-more-about-what-they-think-of/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [If you have more money than brains, you should focus on outbound marketing, If you have more brains than money, you should focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/if-you-have-more-money-than-brains-you-should-focus-on-outbound/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Most venture capitalists won't read a business plan unless the entrepreneur is introduced to them by a contact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/most-venture-capitalists-won-t-read-a-business-plan-unless-the/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > ["(Big name research firm) says our market will be $50 billion in 2010." Every entrepreneur has a few slides about how the market potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/big-name-research-firm-says-our-market-will-be-50-billion-in-2010/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Go APE: Author a great book, Publish it quickly, and Entrepreneur your way to success. Self-publishing isn’t easy, but it’s fun and sometimes even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/go-ape-author-a-great-book-publish-it-quickly-and-entrepreneur-your/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) [Explore all 259 Guy Kawasaki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want to know which idea you're going to kill yourself trying to make successful, not which ideas have crossed your idle mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Guy Kawasaki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-to-kill-yourself-trying-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-to-kill-yourself-trying-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/guy-kawasaki-1292_ideas_i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-t_1135459.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I want to know which idea you're going to kill yourself trying to make successful, not which ideas have…” — Guy Kawasaki", "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": "Guy Kawasaki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I want to know which idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-to-kill-yourself-trying-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-want-to-know-which-idea-you-re-going-to-kill-yourself-trying-to/#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 } } ] } ```