--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have meant what I have done. Or I have…" description: "\"I have meant what I have done. Or I have often meant what I have done. Or I have sometimes meant what I have done. Or I have tried to mean what I was d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/jasper-johns-8447_accidents_i-have-meant-what-i-have-done-or-i-have_139921.jpg" --- # I have meant what I have done. Or I have often meant what… ![“I have meant what I have done. Or I have often meant what I have done. Or I have sometimes meant what I have done. Or I have tried to mean what I was doing.” quote by Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/jasper-johns-8447_accidents_i-have-meant-what-i-have-done-or-i-have_139921.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/jasper-johns-8447_accidents_i-have-meant-what-i-have-done-or-i-have_139921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/jasper-johns-8447_accidents_i-have-meant-what-i-have-done-or-i-have_139921.jpg) > “I have meant what I have done. Or I have often meant what I have done. Or I have sometimes meant what I have done. Or I have tried to mean what I was doing.” [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) ## 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 questions the consistency between intention and action, reflecting on authenticity. **In simple terms:** Questioning if deeds match words. Key Takeaway Align actions with true intentions. Themes authenticity self‑reflection integrity Mood introspective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal ethics - creative process - leadership - decision making Key Concepts intentionality self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - Do your actions reflect your beliefs? - When have you acted unintentionally? A Different Perspective Self‑deception can obscure genuine intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) ## Related quotes > [I'm sure I tried being mean at one point, and I don't think it worked. It's too much work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-louderman/i-m-sure-i-tried-being-mean-at-one-point-and-i-don-t-think-it-worked/) [Taylor Louderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-louderman/) > [Everything lined up. It has been easy, as if it were meant-" "Meant!" she said, amazed. 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When you meant everything and I meant the world to you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ramkran/why-can-t-we-go-back-to-how-it-was-before-when-you-meant-everything/) [Christine Ramkran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ramkran/) > [What's meant to be is meant to be, you can't deny true destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/what-s-meant-to-be-is-meant-to-be-you-can-t-deny-true-destiny/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“Love meant a lot, it meant everything, and it meant nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheehan-miles/love-meant-a-lot-it-meant-everything-and-it-meant-nothing/) [Charles Sheehan-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheehan-miles/) > [I know, you love me and soon you will see, you were meant for me and I was meant for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-know-you-love-me-and-soon-you-will-see-you-were-meant-for-me-and-i/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [If it's meant to be it will be. If it's not meant to be nothing you do or say will make it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-it-s-meant-to-be-it-will-be-if-it-s-not-meant-to-be-nothing-you-do/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [You say we're through like I meant nothing to you. Now that we're done I see you're not the one for me. You and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-louise-eberle/you-say-we-re-through-like-i-meant-nothing-to-you-now-that-we-re-done/) Miranda Louise Eberle > [“Life was never meant to be serious, it was meant to be a joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/life-was-never-meant-to-be-serious-it-was-meant-to-be-a-joy/) [steven redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“Maybe that was what being together with someone really meant. It meant seeing past the idealization you had of them, embracing their flaws and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaia-b-amman/maybe-that-was-what-being-together-with-someone-really-meant-it-meant/) [Gaia B. Amman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaia-b-amman/) > [Not all words fit into their meanings. Sometimes, what is said is not what is meant and what is meant is left unsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/not-all-words-fit-into-their-meanings-sometimes-what-is-said-is-not/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Daniel?" "Yes." "Did you ever think we were meant not to be together?" "No. We are meant to be together. We are just meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/daniel-yes-did-you-ever-think-we-were-meant-not-to-be-together-no-we/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Whenever I heard it, whoever said it to me, it felt the same. Like it didn't really mean anything. Because they weren't saying it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-andre/whenever-i-heard-it-whoever-said-it-to-me-it-felt-the-same-like-it/) [bella andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-andre/) > [That doesn't mean we should be doing it, though. We should always be carving back those things that are comfortable and institutionalized but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/that-doesn-t-mean-we-should-be-doing-it-though-we-should-always-be/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) ## More by Jasper Johns > [Early on I was very involved with the notion of the painting as an object and tended to attack that idea from different directions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/early-on-i-was-very-involved-with-the-notion-of-the-painting-as-an/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Make something, a kind of object, which as it changes or falls apart (dies as it were) or increases in its parts (grows as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/make-something-a-kind-of-object-which-as-it-changes-or-falls-apart/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [In my early work, I tried to hide my personality, my psychological state, my emotions. This was partly due to my feelings about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/in-my-early-work-i-tried-to-hide-my-personality-my-psychological/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I have no ideas about what the paintings imply about the world. I don't think that's a painter's business. He just paints paintings without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-have-no-ideas-about-what-the-paintings-imply-about-the-world-i-don/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Art as a fantasy has been one of my earliest experiences. I suppose a lot of my childhood was a fantasy that involved getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-as-a-fantasy-has-been-one-of-my-earliest-experiences-i-suppose-a/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I was raised in South Carolina; I wasn't aware of any art in South Carolina. There was a minor museum in Charleston, which had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-was-raised-in-south-carolina-i-wasn-t-aware-of-any-art-in-south/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Sometime during the mid-50s I said, 'I am an artist.' Before that, for many years, I had said, 'I'm going to be an artist.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/sometime-during-the-mid-50s-i-said-i-am-an-artist-before-that-for/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [That's what painting does; it organizes vision in a certain way or suggests that certain things be paid attention to and certain other things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/that-s-what-painting-does-it-organizes-vision-in-a-certain-way-or/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but I decided that didn't matter – that would be my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-assumed-that-everything-would-lead-to-complete-failure-but-i/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I tend to like things that already exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-tend-to-like-things-that-already-exist/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Bend color names which should be made of neon or copper tubing. Place an object on a surface - trace the object - then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/bend-color-names-which-should-be-made-of-neon-or-copper-tubing-place/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [My experience with life is that it's very fragmented. In one place certain kinds of thing occur, and in another place a different kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/my-experience-with-life-is-that-it-s-very-fragmented-in-one-place/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I never wish for critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-never-wish-for-critics/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Art is either a complaint or appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-is-either-a-complaint-or-appeasement/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [I love drawings, so I've always enjoyed making drawings that exist on their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-love-drawings-so-i-ve-always-enjoyed-making-drawings-that-exist-on/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) [Explore all 80 Jasper Johns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [I made out with a homeless guy by accident. I had no idea -- he was really tan, he had no shoes on. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-made-out-with-a-homeless-guy-by-accident-i-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/) [Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/) > [In a city where you walk around, it's impossible to plan your day and your life as accidents will happen, you'll overhear things, bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/in-a-city-where-you-walk-around-it-s-impossible-to-plan-your-day-and/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Dont stand outside in a lightning shower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig/dont-stand-outside-in-a-lightning-shower/) [Padraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padraig/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) [Browse all 1,971 Accidents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have meant what I have done. 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