--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am often tempted to think of success in…" description: "\"I am often tempted to think of success in terms that are defined by others: records sold, popularity gained, album reviews, etc. These are impossible d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/jon-foreman-2854_albums_i-am-often-tempted-to-think-of-success-i_1858398.png" --- # I am often tempted to think of success in terms that are… ![“I am often tempted to think of success in terms that are defined by others: records sold, popularity gained, album reviews, etc. These are impossible demands, however, and they can never be satisfied. Letting finite others define our worth is a horrible way to live. Only the Infinite Other [God]…” quote by Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/jon-foreman-2854_albums_i-am-often-tempted-to-think-of-success-i_1858398.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/jon-foreman-2854_albums_i-am-often-tempted-to-think-of-success-i_1858398.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/jon-foreman-2854_albums_i-am-often-tempted-to-think-of-success-i_1858398.png) > “I am often tempted to think of success in terms that are defined by others: records sold, popularity gained, album reviews, etc. These are impossible demands, however, and they can never be satisfied. Letting finite others define our worth is a horrible way to live. Only the Infinite Other \[God\] has the authority to do this.” [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. External validation is an impossible standard; true worth comes from a higher, infinite source. **In simple terms:** Self-worth shouldn't depend on others' opinions. Key Takeaway Seek inner validation over external applause. Themes self-worth spirituality validation humility Mood contemplative inspirational Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - career achievements - artistic pursuits - social media presence - personal relationships Key Concepts intrinsic value divine authority ego self-acceptance Questions to Reflect On - What internal standards define your success? - How can you align your work with deeper purpose? A Different Perspective Relying solely on external metrics can cause chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Albums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/albums/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way to live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-to-live/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) ## Related quotes > [Religion unites man with God, or forms a communication between them; yet do they not say, 'God is infinite?' If God be infinite, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/religion-unites-man-with-god-or-forms-a-communication-between-them/) [Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/) > [No individual should rely on any other human being or system to define their worth as a human being. You have to begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-duke/no-individual-should-rely-on-any-other-human-being-or-system-to/) [Bill Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-duke/) > [I just constantly tell myself that I should be the only one to define my worth and what I'm capable of and how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catriona-gray/i-just-constantly-tell-myself-that-i-should-be-the-only-one-to-define/) [Catriona Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catriona-gray/) > [I do know one thing about me: I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/i-do-know-one-thing-about-me-i-don-t-measure-myself-by-others/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [Nothing - and, I repeat, nothing - can affect what you build with sheer hard work. You either wait for people to define your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mawra-hocane/nothing-and-i-repeat-nothing-can-affect-what-you-build-with-sheer/) [Mawra Hocane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mawra-hocane/) > [In my opinion, the best way of showing someone the best way to live life is by living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/in-my-opinion-the-best-way-of-showing-someone-the-best-way-to-live/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [Just as drowning cannot be equated with swimming, mere existence is not the same as abundant life. We have been offered a new way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/just-as-drowning-cannot-be-equated-with-swimming-mere-existence-is/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [The infinite God cannot be measured by finite man..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-infinite-god-cannot-be-measured-by-finite-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our own intuition of what we're called to is reality speaking to us individually and perfectly. We have to listen to how the Infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/our-own-intuition-of-what-we-re-called-to-is-reality-speaking-to-us/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [An infinite God ought to be able to protect Himself, without going in partnership with State Legislatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/an-infinite-god-ought-to-be-able-to-protect-himself-without-going-in/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [During painful times, when you feel a terrible void, think how the capacity of your soul is being enlarged so that it can receive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-of-the-trinity/during-painful-times-when-you-feel-a-terrible-void-think-how-the/) [Elizabeth of the Trinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-of-the-trinity/) > [Ownership in the world I have none, but I have an infinite interest in it; for if not my own it is my God's;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/ownership-in-the-world-i-have-none-but-i-have-an-infinite-interest-in/) [William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/) > [God can never be close. God can never be close because it would mean that there is some place where God is not. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mooji/god-can-never-be-close-god-can-never-be-close-because-it-would-mean/) [Mooji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mooji/) > [“The ocean stands for God, the sole substance, and individual beings are like waves - which are modes of the sea. Each wave has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-carlisle/the-ocean-stands-for-god-the-sole-substance-and-individual-beings-are/) Clare Carlisle > [God's grace is not infinite. God is infinite, and God is gracious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/god-s-grace-is-not-infinite-god-is-infinite-and-god-is-gracious/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) ## More by Jon Foreman > [Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/please-be-slow-to-judge-brothers-who-have-a-different-calling/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [All music is worship. It just depends on what you’re worshipping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/all-music-is-worship-it-just-depends-on-what-you-re-worshipping/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I'm always looking to find order within the chaos. And sometimes when my life gets fairly chaotic, I'll take a walk outside. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-m-always-looking-to-find-order-within-the-chaos-and-sometimes-when/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [If we spend our time obsessing with the future or regretting the past, then we will never live. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/if-we-spend-our-time-obsessing-with-the-future-or-regretting-the-past/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I try to write songs just for the song itself. I don't try and think about where it's going to end up, that way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-try-to-write-songs-just-for-the-song-itself-i-don-t-try-and-think/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [We were meant to live for so much more,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/we-were-meant-to-live-for-so-much-more/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I think sometimes we can use spirituality as a vehicle to go closer to the things that frighten us and sometimes we can use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-think-sometimes-we-can-use-spirituality-as-a-vehicle-to-go-closer/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I've always been fascinated with the strong emotional ties that music can have. A song can bring you back to a place or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-with-the-strong-emotional-ties-that-music/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [Eventually everything fails me, but when I look at the sunset or the sky, I'm reminded what it's like to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/eventually-everything-fails-me-but-when-i-look-at-the-sunset-or-the/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [The easiest thing to do is throw a rock. It's a lot harder to create a stained glass window. I used to get upset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/the-easiest-thing-to-do-is-throw-a-rock-it-s-a-lot-harder-to-create-a/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I've experienced more sunrises with my bandmates and friends out on the road than with my wife, because we're always up at these strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-ve-experienced-more-sunrises-with-my-bandmates-and-friends-out-on/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [You wake up, you wake up, another day, you wake up, you wake up, traffic still moving at the same speed, our eyes looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/you-wake-up-you-wake-up-another-day-you-wake-up-you-wake-up-traffic/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I usually write from my own experience, and that's definitely a true statement for me. I think having a song about desiring to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-usually-write-from-my-own-experience-and-that-s-definitely-a-true/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I yearn to live and love and burn, and yet so much of my time is spent faking and forgetting, faking and forgetting I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/i-yearn-to-live-and-love-and-burn-and-yet-so-much-of-my-time-is-spent/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [That's what life is, a continual state of journey. You are a river passing downstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/that-s-what-life-is-a-continual-state-of-journey-you-are-a-river/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) [Explore all 147 Jon Foreman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) ## More Albums quotes > [Check out the albums, ... Check out the live performances. That's the reality of it all. Music is such an energizing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/check-out-the-albums-check-out-the-live-performances-that-s-the/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [It's been really fun to see with each album when I change to see the fans of the show emulate my style and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/it-s-been-really-fun-to-see-with-each-album-when-i-change-to-see-the/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [The weird thing was that Soft Cell was supposed to have come and gone before I started the album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/the-weird-thing-was-that-soft-cell-was-supposed-to-have-come-and-gone/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [I believe in full albums, and whatever comes out of those full albums will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-ricch/i-believe-in-full-albums-and-whatever-comes-out-of-those-full-albums/) [Roddy Ricch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-ricch/) > [Doing my own album provided me the opportunity to say whatever I wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/doing-my-own-album-provided-me-the-opportunity-to-say-whatever-i/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) > [The album is a definite departure. I haven't written original material before, except for one song on my first album, but Elvis and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-krall/the-album-is-a-definite-departure-i-haven-t-written-original-material/) [Diana Krall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-krall/) > [I never do any album to beat it. I do it to extend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-never-do-any-album-to-beat-it-i-do-it-to-extend-it/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [I love Katy Perry! She gave me a song for my second album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/i-love-katy-perry-she-gave-me-a-song-for-my-second-album/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [If you're going to reach for it, reach all the way for it. Albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Thriller' and those kind of records,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/if-you-re-going-to-reach-for-it-reach-all-the-way-for-it-albums-like/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [I'll put out an album, and people review it, and some people love it, and some people tear it apart. By nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/i-ll-put-out-an-album-and-people-review-it-and-some-people-love-it/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [I've been connected to the most culturally important albums of the past four years, the most influential artists of the past ten years. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-ve-been-connected-to-the-most-culturally-important-albums-of-the/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [George Winston piano albums have been my go-to since junior high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/george-winston-piano-albums-have-been-my-go-to-since-junior-high/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [Someone told me once that Lucinda Williams takes six years between albums, and that's what stuck to me; it's like, you really are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/someone-told-me-once-that-lucinda-williams-takes-six-years-between/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Now I'm having to live with sales of around 50,000 per album - but I'm pretty content with my place in the general scheme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-knopfler/now-i-m-having-to-live-with-sales-of-around-50-000-per-album-but-i-m/) [David Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-knopfler/) [Browse all 2,275 Albums quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/albums/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am often tempted to think of success in terms that are defined by others: records sold, popularity gained, album reviews, etc. These are impossible demands, however, and they can never be satisfied. 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