--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A somebody was once a nobody who wanted…" description: "\"A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.\" — John Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png" --- # A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did. ![“A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.” quote by John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png) > “A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.” [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can rise from obscurity by taking decisive action and achieving goals. **In simple terms:** From nobody to somebody through action. Key Takeaway Act to become who you want. Themes self-improvement ambition action Mood inspired determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - career advancement - creative projects - personal branding Key Concepts personal growth agency determination Questions to Reflect On - What action will define your transformation? - How do you measure progress from obscurity? A Different Perspective Success requires effort beyond initial ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody/) [Somebody Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody-wanted-1899051/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-did-584834/) ## Related quotes > [Every time I stepped into the ring, somebody wanted to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-duran/every-time-i-stepped-into-the-ring-somebody-wanted-to-kill-me/) [Roberto Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-duran/) > [If there was somebody I wanted to meet, I'd like to be able to get their autograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-price/if-there-was-somebody-i-wanted-to-meet-i-d-like-to-be-able-to-get/) [Katie Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-price/) > [“Too much of me was lost in the vision of what somebody else wanted me to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-chapman-sharpe/too-much-of-me-was-lost-in-the-vision-of-what-somebody-else-wanted-me/) [William Chapman Sharpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-chapman-sharpe/) > [Just once, she'd like to be the exciting one, the girl somebody wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/just-once-she-d-like-to-be-the-exciting-one-the-girl-somebody-wanted/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [I would never have done what I'd done if I'd considered my father as somebody I wanted to please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mapplethorpe/i-would-never-have-done-what-i-d-done-if-i-d-considered-my-father-as/) [Robert Mapplethorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mapplethorpe/) > [“I explained, winefully, how we did not do the things we wanted to; we never did such things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-explained-winefully-how-we-did-not-do-the-things-we-wanted-to-we/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Because I wanted to do, I did. Where I wanted to feed, I fed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/because-i-wanted-to-do-i-did-where-i-wanted-to-feed-i-fed/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“We wanted to do it, and we did it and we don't give a damn",”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/we-wanted-to-do-it-and-we-did-it-and-we-don-t-give-a-damn/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [Just like multiplex theatres, the industry had become divided, making films that alienated one kind of audience or another. It was really time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boney-kapoor/just-like-multiplex-theatres-the-industry-had-become-divided-making/) [Boney Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boney-kapoor/) > [“Excuse me, but if God wanted to do everything himself, what did he make us for in the first place?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/excuse-me-but-if-god-wanted-to-do-everything-himself-what-did-he-make/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Of Adam and Eve: They had what they wanted. That they did not like it when they got it does not alter the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-williams/of-adam-and-eve-they-had-what-they-wanted-that-they-did-not-like-it/) [Charles Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-williams/) > [It was Milan who proved they wanted me and they did everything to get me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiago-silva/it-was-milan-who-proved-they-wanted-me-and-they-did-everything-to-get/) [Thiago Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiago-silva/) > [I always knew what I wanted to do and I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-glass/i-always-knew-what-i-wanted-to-do-and-i-did-it/) [Philip Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-glass/) > [I adored my brother when I was younger, so I wanted to do everything he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-bronze/i-adored-my-brother-when-i-was-younger-so-i-wanted-to-do-everything/) [Lucy Bronze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-bronze/) > [“Did they want what I wanted? Did they want to understand, to unlock it? To decode it? To glean, to touch, to learn, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/did-they-want-what-i-wanted-did-they-want-to-understand-to-unlock-it/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) ## More by John Burroughs > [As life nears its end with me, I find myself meditating more and more upon the mystery of its nature and origin, yet without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/as-life-nears-its-end-with-me-i-find-myself-meditating-more-and-more/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Certainly in the United States, you have a constituency in the form of the weapons laboratories, and you also have the branches of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/certainly-in-the-united-states-you-have-a-constituency-in-the-form-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [When Darwin published his conclusion that man was descended from an apelike ancestor who was again descended from a still lower type, most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-darwin-published-his-conclusion-that-man-was-descended-from-an/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Science sees the process of evolution from the outside, as one might a train of cars going by, and resolves it into the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/science-sees-the-process-of-evolution-from-the-outside-as-one-might-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Maybe that will happen with other countries as well. And so, that's why one of the things that groups like mine that work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/maybe-that-will-happen-with-other-countries-as-well-and-so-that-s-why/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [One can only learn his powers of action by action, and his powers of thought by thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-only-learn-his-powers-of-action-by-action-and-his-powers-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-was-born-with-a-chronic-anxiety-about-the-weather/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [When the woodpecker is searching for food, or laying siege to some hidden grub, the sound of his hammer is dead or muffled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-the-woodpecker-is-searching-for-food-or-laying-siege-to-some/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [In what bold relief stand out the lives of all walkers of the snow! The snow is a great tell-tale, and blabs as effectually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-what-bold-relief-stand-out-the-lives-of-all-walkers-of-the-snow/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [In October, a maple tree before your window lights up your room like a great lamp. Even on cloudy days, its presence helps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-october-a-maple-tree-before-your-window-lights-up-your-room-like-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [One can return to their place of birth, but one cannot go back to your youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-return-to-their-place-of-birth-but-one-cannot-go-back-to-your/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [I still find each day too short..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-still-find-each-day-too-short/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Following World War II, the U.S. was the architect of the UN system, and the world financial system, and the Human Rights Declaration, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/following-world-war-ii-the-u-s-was-the-architect-of-the-un-system-and/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [“Go to the sea or climb the mountain, and with the ruggedest and the savagest you will find likewise the fairest and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/go-to-the-sea-or-climb-the-mountain-and-with-the-ruggedest-and-the/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) [Explore all 281 John Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) ## More Somebody quotes > [The color of somebody's skin or the way he wears his hair or clothes has nothing to do with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-color-of-somebody-s-skin-or-the-way-he-wears-his-hair-or-clothes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I know a lot of people that have had fake Twitters... actors and musicians that I know. It's sort of a problem. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/i-know-a-lot-of-people-that-have-had-fake-twitters-actors-and/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [To follow good manners willingly is like paving the road and to tell somebody to follow them is like the road which is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/to-follow-good-manners-willingly-is-like-paving-the-road-and-to-tell/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Well, just that there would be somebody in the office and the voters - it was more or less an understanding in the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/well-just-that-there-would-be-somebody-in-the-office-and-the-voters/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [No matter what you go through, if it's the truth, 9 times out of 10, somebody else has been through the same thing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sevyn-streeter/no-matter-what-you-go-through-if-it-s-the-truth-9-times-out-of-10/) [Sevyn Streeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sevyn-streeter/) > [We only call at ducks when their rear ends are towards us. If I'm looking at you and you call my name, then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jase-robertson/we-only-call-at-ducks-when-their-rear-ends-are-towards-us-if-i-m/) [Jase Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jase-robertson/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [Take control of who you report to, what you do, what you create. Or start a business on the side. Deliver some value, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/take-control-of-who-you-report-to-what-you-do-what-you-create-or/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [I always sleep on my own. I can't sleep with somebody else. Always separate bedrooms, bathrooms and closets. I'm very individual and I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/i-always-sleep-on-my-own-i-can-t-sleep-with-somebody-else-always/) [Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/) > [What happens is this sort of bleed-over from the tabloids across your movie work. You go to a movie, you only go once. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/what-happens-is-this-sort-of-bleed-over-from-the-tabloids-across-your/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) [Browse all 2,380 Somebody quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted-to-and-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Somebody" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted-to-and-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/john-burroughs-1157_somebody_a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted_2120408.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.” — John Burroughs", "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": "John Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A somebody was once a nobody...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted-to-and-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/a-somebody-was-once-a-nobody-who-wanted-to-and-did/#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 } } ] } ```