--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm vain enough to think that I've made a…" description: "\"I'm vain enough to think that I've made a successful life. I've had everything I've ever wanted. You can't beat that.\" — Jack Gilbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png" --- # I'm vain enough to think that I've made a successful life… ![“I'm vain enough to think that I've made a successful life. I've had everything I've ever wanted. You can't beat that.” quote by Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png) > “I'm vain enough to think that I've made a successful life. I've had everything I've ever wanted. You can't beat that.” [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker boasts of personal success and fulfillment, claiming it is unbeatable. **In simple terms:** Proud of achievements. Key Takeaway Recognize privilege and stay humble. Themes pride success contentment Mood confident contemplative Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career celebration - social media bragging - self‑reflection - relationship dynamics Key Concepts self‑assessment materialism Questions to Reflect On - What defines a “successful life” for you? - How do you balance pride with humility? A Different Perspective Success may be subjective and fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beats/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Ve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-ve-439212/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Vain Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain-think-636679/) [Ve Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-successful-492658/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [Now it's curtains for you you've done wrong. You're so vain, I think you'd take credit for this song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kittie/now-it-s-curtains-for-you-you-ve-done-wrong-you-re-so-vain-i-think/) [Kittie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kittie/) > [I am vain. I think vanity is a good thing. It's done more good things for me than it has not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/i-am-vain-i-think-vanity-is-a-good-thing-it-s-done-more-good-things/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [My friends think I'm vain because I think every Taylor Swift song is about me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-romero/my-friends-think-i-m-vain-because-i-think-every-taylor-swift-song-is/) [Oscar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-romero/) > [“I make a great difference between people. I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-make-a-great-difference-between-people-i-choose-my-friends-for/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects. A man cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-choose-my-friends-for-their-good-looks-my-acquaintances-for-their-3/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I'm not very keen on ageing. I'm not keen on the physical decay. I probably am quite vain. I think you want to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/i-m-not-very-keen-on-ageing-i-m-not-keen-on-the-physical-decay-i/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [“Why not? Why not anything? If God ain’t a God of why nots, than I say ‘Why bother,’ and I don’t think that’s takin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-johnson/why-not-why-not-anything-if-god-ain-t-a-god-of-why-nots-than-i-say/) [Todd Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-johnson/) > [I'm so vain, all I could think was I should have stopped at 'American Pie.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/i-m-so-vain-all-i-could-think-was-i-should-have-stopped-at-american/) [Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/) > [We often brag that we are never bored with ourselves, and are so vain as never to think ourselves bad company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-often-brag-that-we-are-never-bored-with-ourselves-and-are-so-vain/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [I'm so lucky, I've been so successful, so much has come my way. I want to give back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vendela-kirsebom/i-m-so-lucky-i-ve-been-so-successful-so-much-has-come-my-way-i-want/) [Vendela Kirsebom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vendela-kirsebom/) > [That's who we are. That's partly why we've been successful. Spread it around and run our stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hasselbeck/that-s-who-we-are-that-s-partly-why-we-ve-been-successful-spread-it/) [Matt Hasselbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hasselbeck/) > [I've always been successful. Now I'm famous and successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-ve-always-been-successful-now-i-m-famous-and-successful/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) > [I'm glad I've never been so successful that I couldn't stop doing one thing. I've kind of been able to just kick it along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-m-glad-i-ve-never-been-so-successful-that-i-couldn-t-stop-doing-one/) [Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/) > [I've been successful, and I'm grateful for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gatlin/i-ve-been-successful-and-i-m-grateful-for-that/) [Larry Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gatlin/) > [“I've attempted suicide five times, and I've been successful every time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mynah-k/i-ve-attempted-suicide-five-times-and-i-ve-been-successful-every-time/) [Mynah K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mynah-k/) ## More by Jack Gilbert > [I had lived all of my youthful dreams, but I couldn't think of many adult ones. I finally realized that we don't have many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-had-lived-all-of-my-youthful-dreams-but-i-couldn-t-think-of-many/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [I dream of lost vocabularies that might express some of what we no longer can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-dream-of-lost-vocabularies-that-might-express-some-of-what-we-no/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [Why do so manysettle for so little? I don't understand why they're not greedy for what's inside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/why-do-so-manysettle-for-so-little-i-don-t-understand-why-they-re-not/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [Suddenly this defeat. This rain. The blues gone gray And the browns gone gray And yellow A terrible amber. In the cold streets Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/suddenly-this-defeat-this-rain-the-blues-gone-gray-and-the-browns/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“A DESCRIPTION OF HAPPINESS IN KOBENHAVN All this windless day snow fell into the King's Garden where I walked, perfecting and growing old, abandoning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/a-description-of-happiness-in-kobenhavn-all-this-windless-day-snow/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [When I was walking in the mountains with the Japanese man and began to hear the water, he said, 'What is the sound of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/when-i-was-walking-in-the-mountains-with-the-japanese-man-and-began/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“There was no water at my grandfather’s when I was a kid and would go for it with two zinc buckets. Down the path,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/there-was-no-water-at-my-grandfather-s-when-i-was-a-kid-and-would-go/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“Failing and Flying" Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew. It's the same when love comes to an end, or the marriage fails and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/failing-and-flying-everyone-forgets-that-icarus-also-flew-it-s-the/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“Horses At Midnight Without A Moon" Our heart wanders lost in the dark woods. Our dream wrestles in the castle of doubt. But there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/horses-at-midnight-without-a-moon-our-heart-wanders-lost-in-the-dark/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“Imagine if suffering were real. Imagine if those old people were afraid of death. What if the midget or the girl with one arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/imagine-if-suffering-were-real-imagine-if-those-old-people-were/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [The heart lies to itself because it must.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/the-heart-lies-to-itself-because-it-must/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“ A Brief for the Defense Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/a-brief-for-the-defense-sorrow-everywhere-slaughter-everywhere-if/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/to-hear-the-faint-sound-of-oars-in-the-silence-as-a-rowboat-comes/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [“Naked Except for the Jewelry” “And,” she said, “you must talk no more about ecstasy. It is loneliness.” The woman wandered about picking up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/naked-except-for-the-jewelry-and-she-said-you-must-talk-no-more-about/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/we-must-have-the-stubbornness-to-accept-our-gladness-in-the-ruthless/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) [Explore all 62 Jack Gilbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) ## More Beats quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I usually write from the rhythm section...If a drummer got a funky beat on some things - like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-usually-write-from-the-rhythm-section-if-a-drummer-got-a-funky-beat/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [If you don't like club beats take a HIT OF E and you will love the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/if-you-don-t-like-club-beats-take-a-hit-of-e-and-you-will-love-the/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Every pitcher can beat you, it doesn't matter how good you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/every-pitcher-can-beat-you-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-you-are/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-world-but-i-know-in-our-region/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [Grand business plans are all very well, but nothing beats dipping your toe in the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-bilimoria-karan-bilimoria/grand-business-plans-are-all-very-well-but-nothing-beats-dipping-your/) [Baron Bilimoria Karan Bilimoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-bilimoria-karan-bilimoria/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. There you are, keeping the beat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/imagine-if-you-were-a-drummer-and-you-accidentally-picked-up-two/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I don't like small birds. They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,311 Beats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beats/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm vain enough to think that I've made a successful life. I've had everything I've ever wanted. You can't beat that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Gilbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made-a-successful-life-i-ve-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made-a-successful-life-i-ve-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/jack-gilbert-10996_beats_i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made_549087.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm vain enough to think that I've made a successful life. I've had everything I've ever wanted. You can't…” — Jack Gilbert", "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": "Jack Gilbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm vain enough to think that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made-a-successful-life-i-ve-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-m-vain-enough-to-think-that-i-ve-made-a-successful-life-i-ve-had/#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 } } ] } ```