--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My objective was never to make money. I…" description: "\"My objective was never to make money. I wanted to contribute to human knowledge and betterment.\" — John B. Goodenough" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/john-b-goodenough-27368_goals_my-objective-was-never-to-make-money-i-w_1515685.jpg" --- # My objective was never to make money. I wanted to… ![“My objective was never to make money. I wanted to contribute to human knowledge and betterment.” quote by John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/john-b-goodenough-27368_goals_my-objective-was-never-to-make-money-i-w_1515685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/john-b-goodenough-27368_goals_my-objective-was-never-to-make-money-i-w_1515685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/john-b-goodenough-27368_goals_my-objective-was-never-to-make-money-i-w_1515685.jpg) > “My objective was never to make money. I wanted to contribute to human knowledge and betterment.” [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The goal was to advance knowledge and societal well‑being, not personal profit. **In simple terms:** He aimed to help humanity, not earn money. Key Takeaway Prioritize impact over financial gain. Themes science humanitarianism knowledge legacy Mood inspired reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research collaborations - public outreach - open‑source publishing - policy advising Key Concepts ethics innovation long‑term thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can you measure societal impact? - What incentives support altruistic research? A Different Perspective Funding pressures can shift focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Self-Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-improvement-2/) ## Related quotes > [Any government objective should be and only be: not to make life easy for everybody but rather to make their dreams become possible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-government-objective-should-be-and-only-be-not-to-make-life-easy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One last thing on objectives - I like to make things, create things, so that's probably been the primary objective all along, even before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ames/one-last-thing-on-objectives-i-like-to-make-things-create-things-so/) [Jonathan Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ames/) > [Our inner strengths, experiences, and truths cannot be lost, destroyed, or taken away. Every person has an inborn worth and can contribute to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/our-inner-strengths-experiences-and-truths-cannot-be-lost-destroyed/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The future will be in the hands of those of you who belong to the 21st century. You have the opportunity and responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-future-will-be-in-the-hands-of-those-of-you-who-belong-to-the/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [When you talk about 'doing the work', that's the work I'm interested in. What can I contribute as a human being?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/when-you-talk-about-doing-the-work-that-s-the-work-i-m-interested-in/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [“Of all the things that human beings make and do for each other, it is the unquantifiable ones that contribute most to human happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/of-all-the-things-that-human-beings-make-and-do-for-each-other-it-is/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [“Like all human beings, he thought money could by whatever he wanted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/like-all-human-beings-he-thought-money-could-by-whatever-he-wanted/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always wanted to be a star. I've always wanted money and wanted to travel. So I knew there was a price to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-a-star-i-ve-always-wanted-money-and-wanted/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I didn't want to be one of these rappers that holds his chain up just faking like he has money. I wanted more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/i-didn-t-want-to-be-one-of-these-rappers-that-holds-his-chain-up-just/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) > [Man, I really think I was just fascinated with money... and I always wanted it growing up. I always wanted money... Once I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-dolph/man-i-really-think-i-was-just-fascinated-with-money-and-i-always/) [Young Dolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-dolph/) > [We didn't have money to put out everything we wanted to put out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/we-didn-t-have-money-to-put-out-everything-we-wanted-to-put-out/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [I never wanted to work for money, I always wanted to work for my creative satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rimi-sen/i-never-wanted-to-work-for-money-i-always-wanted-to-work-for-my/) [Rimi Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rimi-sen/) > [I made money. I wanted to give it back to Africa but I wanted to give it back in a meaningful way. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/i-made-money-i-wanted-to-give-it-back-to-africa-but-i-wanted-to-give/) [Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/) > [I wanted to get rich, not because I like money but because I wanted to give that money to charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bankman-fried/i-wanted-to-get-rich-not-because-i-like-money-but-because-i-wanted-to/) [Sam Bankman-Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bankman-fried/) > [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) ## More by John B. Goodenough > [I'm extremely happy the lithium-ion batteries helped communications around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-m-extremely-happy-the-lithium-ion-batteries-helped-communications/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [The first car the family owned was a Model A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/the-first-car-the-family-owned-was-a-model-a/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [I enjoy the company and interaction of people at work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-enjoy-the-company-and-interaction-of-people-at-work/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/cost-safety-energy-density-rates-of-charge-and-discharge-and-cycle/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [I think that everybody needs to find meaning in life. I was hoping to do something that serves the needs of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-think-that-everybody-needs-to-find-meaning-in-life-i-was-hoping-to/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [I've had an interesting career, and I don't know if it was by chance or grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-ve-had-an-interesting-career-and-i-don-t-know-if-it-was-by-chance/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [Some of us are turtles; we crawl and struggle along, and we haven't maybe figured it out by the time we're 30. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/some-of-us-are-turtles-we-crawl-and-struggle-along-and-we-haven-t/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [Well as I say, don't believe everything that you read and don't be afraid to think and it is alright to understand what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/well-as-i-say-don-t-believe-everything-that-you-read-and-don-t-be/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [Wisdom comes out of dialogue so you have to develop the capacity to expose your own ignorance in order that they may discover their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/wisdom-comes-out-of-dialogue-so-you-have-to-develop-the-capacity-to/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [I go to the lab and in order to interact with my postdoctoral students and try to see if I can shape them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-go-to-the-lab-and-in-order-to-interact-with-my-postdoctoral/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [So a good teacher always makes you do something a little bit more than you thought that you could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/so-a-good-teacher-always-makes-you-do-something-a-little-bit-more/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [I'm old enough to know you can't close your mind to new ideas. You have to test out every possibility if you want something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-m-old-enough-to-know-you-can-t-close-your-mind-to-new-ideas-you/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [Live to 97 and you can do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/live-to-97-and-you-can-do-anything/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [I'm extremely happy to be able to work to build communications throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-m-extremely-happy-to-be-able-to-work-to-build-communications/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [There are a lot of people doing good work, but we need to get the burning of fossil fuels off the highways and speedways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/there-are-a-lot-of-people-doing-good-work-but-we-need-to-get-the/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) [Explore all 20 John B. Goodenough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) ## More Goals quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Every drop of rain hits its appointed target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/every-drop-of-rain-hits-its-appointed-target/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [“Achieving mental harmony is one of the greatest goals and experiences in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kambiz-mostofizadeh/achieving-mental-harmony-is-one-of-the-greatest-goals-and-experiences/) [Kambiz Mostofizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kambiz-mostofizadeh/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Too many times we flitter our energy into too many goals and in the process don't achieve much. Focus is very important in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishali-kasture/too-many-times-we-flitter-our-energy-into-too-many-goals-and-in-the/) [Vaishali Kasture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishali-kasture/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [According to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/according-to-the-best-research-less-than-3-of-americans-have-written/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“What shapes us is not always our achievements but our omissions. Not lies; simply the truths we don’t tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-tudor/what-shapes-us-is-not-always-our-achievements-but-our-omissions-not/) [C.J. Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-tudor/) [Browse all 21,276 Goals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My objective was never to make money. I wanted to contribute to human knowledge and betterment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John B. 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