--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and…" description: "\"“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which hand gets full first.”\" — J.A. Jance" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/j-a-jance-11517_quote_wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-and-s_1454948.jpg" --- # Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which hand… ![“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which hand gets full first.” quote by J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/j-a-jance-11517_quote_wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-and-s_1454948.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/j-a-jance-11517_quote_wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-and-s_1454948.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/j-a-jance-11517_quote_wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-and-s_1454948.jpg) > ““Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which hand gets full first.”” [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous way to illustrate that desires and negative outcomes are mutually exclusive, urging focus on positive intentions. **In simple terms:** Focus on positive wishes, avoid negativity. Key Takeaway Choose what you want, let go of the opposite. Themes choice humor consequences Mood lighthearted reflective Type aphorism humorous When to use this quote - personal goals - relationship conflicts - career decisions Key Concepts desire outcome focus Questions to Reflect On - What wish are you holding onto? - How does letting go of negativity change outcomes? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex cause‑effect relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hand Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-gets-412542/) [Hand Shit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-shit-248190/) [Shit Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shit-hand-605142/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Wish Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-hand-248189/) ## Related quotes > [“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-oxenhandler/wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see-which-one-fills-up-faster/) [Noelle Oxenhandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-oxenhandler/) > [“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see-which-one-fills-up-first/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [With hat in hand, one gets on in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthold-auerbach/with-hat-in-hand-one-gets-on-in-the-world/) [Berthold Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthold-auerbach/) > [“You can shit in one hand and wish in another and see which one gets full faster. Or... you can just take my word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-hunt/you-can-shit-in-one-hand-and-wish-in-another-and-see-which-one-gets/) [C.V. Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-hunt/) > [“my dad likes to say that you can shit in one hand and wish in the other and see which one gets full first”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-mcginnis/my-dad-likes-to-say-that-you-can-shit-in-one-hand-and-wish-in-the/) [Mindy McGinnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-mcginnis/) > [“Well . . . in the words of Vishous, want in one hand, shit in the other? See what you get most of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/well-in-the-words-of-vishous-want-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“My grandpa had a saying before he died: You can hope in one hand, shit in the other, and see which is filled first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/my-grandpa-had-a-saying-before-he-died-you-can-hope-in-one-hand-shit/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [“Wishes, wishes. Wish in one hand and do something else in the other, and squeeze them both and see which comes true”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/wishes-wishes-wish-in-one-hand-and-do-something-else-in-the-other-and/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“But as his dad always told him, wish in one hand and crap in the other. See which fills up first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-t-ryan/but-as-his-dad-always-told-him-wish-in-one-hand-and-crap-in-the-other/) [L.T. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-t-ryan/) > [Yeah, well, wish in one hand, crap in the other, and see which fills up first](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-bodeen/yeah-well-wish-in-one-hand-crap-in-the-other-and-see-which-fills-up/) [S.A. Bodeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-bodeen/) > [You can wish in one hand and crap in the other, and lets see which gets filled first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-wish-in-one-hand-and-crap-in-the-other-and-lets-see-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I do wish you wouldn't argue with me when I'm knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/i-do-wish-you-wouldn-t-argue-with-me-when-i-m-knitting/) [Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) ## More by J.A. Jance > [“Said with enough fervor, the word “unbelievable” can convey two diametrically opposed opinions. Something can be either unbelievably good or unbelievably bad, depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/said-with-enough-fervor-the-word-unbelievable-can-convey-two/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“She was no lithe virgin. Hers was the gentle voluptuousness of a grown woman, with a hint of fullness of breast and hip that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/she-was-no-lithe-virgin-hers-was-the-gentle-voluptuousness-of-a-grown/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“suspected that God would probably come across with a hell of a lot more Christian charity than either one of Jonathan Thomas’s pious parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/suspected-that-god-would-probably-come-across-with-a-hell-of-a-lot/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“First you get old, and then you die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/first-you-get-old-and-then-you-die/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“directed all visitors to report to the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/directed-all-visitors-to-report-to-the/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“How're the sick, the lame, and the lazy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/how-re-the-sick-the-lame-and-the-lazy/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“According to Occam’s razor, the right answer is always the simplest answer, the one requiring the fewest assumptions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/according-to-occam-s-razor-the-right-answer-is-always-the-simplest/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“College kids seem to look younger with every passing year. It’s one of the hazards of growing older.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/college-kids-seem-to-look-younger-with-every-passing-year-it-s-one-of/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“stay and face whatever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/stay-and-face-whatever/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“I suppose my mother would have been proud of me. At least I was wearing clean shorts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/i-suppose-my-mother-would-have-been-proud-of-me-at-least-i-was/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“Crosswords do not informed citizens make.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/crosswords-do-not-informed-citizens-make/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“Screwed up and incomprehensible as it may seem to a rank outsider, making a movie is a lot like living life. You work with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/screwed-up-and-incomprehensible-as-it-may-seem-to-a-rank-outsider/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“know that you came through surgery like a champ.” This was all good news, but I didn’t feel like a champ. I felt more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/know-that-you-came-through-surgery-like-a-champ-this-was-all-good/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“Funerals and memorial services are something that have to be gotten through. They honor the dead, but they’re for the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/funerals-and-memorial-services-are-something-that-have-to-be-gotten/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“seven others still on the loose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/seven-others-still-on-the-loose/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) [Explore all 57 J.A. Jance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) ## More Wish quotes > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [I do wish you wouldn't argue with me when I'm knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/i-do-wish-you-wouldn-t-argue-with-me-when-i-m-knitting/) [Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/) > [“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-oxenhandler/wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see-which-one-fills-up-faster/) [Noelle Oxenhandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-oxenhandler/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [I wish there was such a thing as reincarnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evel-knievel/i-wish-there-was-such-a-thing-as-reincarnation/) [Evel Knievel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evel-knievel/) > [I wish it had been something as sexy as the old Joey Tribbiani, falling-down-an-elevator shaft. But no. It just faded out. I wasn't related…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-sears/i-wish-it-had-been-something-as-sexy-as-the-old-joey-tribbiani/) [Teddy Sears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-sears/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [I am one of the people who just doesn't enjoy watching myself. I wish I could! I've seen 'Deadpool' three times; the third time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-hildebrand/i-am-one-of-the-people-who-just-doesn-t-enjoy-watching-myself-i-wish/) [Brianna Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-hildebrand/) > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [Although it sounds very trite, I wish people were nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/although-it-sounds-very-trite-i-wish-people-were-nice/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I have read that I was a Bill Bradley type. I wish I was a Bradley. He was one of the best. He helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mullin/i-have-read-that-i-was-a-bill-bradley-type-i-wish-i-was-a-bradley-he/) [Chris Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mullin/) > [The people of Orissa had unmatched love and respect for Bijubabu. There is no way that you can wish away his legacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-patnaik/the-people-of-orissa-had-unmatched-love-and-respect-for-bijubabu/) [Naveen Patnaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-patnaik/) > [She had been dragged in the most humiliating of all dusts, the dust reserved for older women who let themselves be approached, on amorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/she-had-been-dragged-in-the-most-humiliating-of-all-dusts-the-dust/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) [Browse all 12,642 Wish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which hand gets full first.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.A. 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