---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people find out what it is that's…"
description: "\"When people find out what it is that's ticking in them, they get straightened out.\" — Joseph Campbell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png"
---

#  When people find out what it is that's ticking in them…

![“When people find out what it is that's ticking in them, they get straightened out.” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png)

> “When people find out what it is that's ticking in them, they get straightened out.”

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Realizing one's inner drive aligns behavior with purpose.

**In simple terms:** Knowing your inner drive corrects you.

Key Takeaway

Identify and follow your inner rhythm.

Themes

self‑discovery purpose alignment

Mood

introspective motivational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career choice
- personal growth
- leadership
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology motivation self‑actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- What inner drive guides you?
- How can you honor it responsibly?

A Different Perspective

May overlook external constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Ticking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-ticking-5613309/) [Straightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straightened-1189832/) [Ticking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ticking/) [Ticking Straightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ticking-straightened-5613308/)

## Related quotes

> [I knew I wanted to get my teeth straightened eventually in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-watt/i-knew-i-wanted-to-get-my-teeth-straightened-eventually-in-life/)

[T. J. Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-watt/)

> [We're waiting for Sam, who's straightening her hair... whose hair is already straight! Come on man! The only thing that needs to be straightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-situation/we-re-waiting-for-sam-who-s-straightening-her-hair-whose-hair-is/)

[The Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-situation/)

> [“Even the air between them seemed to be dented, waiting to be straightened again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vendela-vida/even-the-air-between-them-seemed-to-be-dented-waiting-to-be/)

[Vendela Vida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vendela-vida/)

> [Your psontig really straightened me out. Thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice/your-psontig-really-straightened-me-out-thanks/)

[Beatrice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice/)

> [Me with my hair straightened. Hope you like my styles. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cowgirl-haley00/me-with-my-hair-straightened-hope-you-like-my-styles/)

[Cowgirl\_Haley00](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cowgirl-haley00/)

> [Your posting raelly straightened me out. Thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubber/your-posting-raelly-straightened-me-out-thanks/)

[Bubber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubber/)

> [“(On period costume posture coaching:) "We all stand about like parboiled spaghetti being straightened out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/on-period-costume-posture-coaching-we-all-stand-about-like-parboiled/)

[Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/)

> [“Who wouldn’t choose to be the best version of themselves possible? People, by nature, are narcissistic.” He straightened his tie and jacket as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-sullivan/who-wouldn-t-choose-to-be-the-best-version-of-themselves-possible/)

[J.M. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-sullivan/)

> [“Jaska straightened, though his whole person seemed to wilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-n-holmberg/jaska-straightened-though-his-whole-person-seemed-to-wilt/)

[Charlie N. Holmberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-n-holmberg/)

> [It is the quick path. We turn everything inside out and upside down - which is when it gets straightened out very neatly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-the-quick-path-we-turn-everything-inside-out-and-upside-down/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I've straightened my hair for many years. I've never felt comfortable wearing my hair natural on air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-taylor/i-ve-straightened-my-hair-for-many-years-i-ve-never-felt-comfortable/)

[Joy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-taylor/)

> [You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking, you are under pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/you-have-to-cherish-things-in-a-different-way-when-you-know-the-clock/)

[Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/)

> [If 1 had 1 life to live why would he wait to the last second to live it !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/militon-munney/if-1-had-1-life-to-live-why-would-he-wait-to-the-last-second-to-live/)

[Militon Munney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/militon-munney/)

> [I suppose it's like the ticking crocodile, isn't it? Time is chasing after all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-suppose-it-s-like-the-ticking-crocodile-isn-t-it-time-is-chasing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You get 15 minutes of fame, I hear, and I've had 14 minutes. The clock's ticking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/you-get-15-minutes-of-fame-i-hear-and-i-ve-had-14-minutes-the-clock-s/)

[Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/)

## More by Joseph Campbell

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

[Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## More People quotes

> [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/)

[Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

[Browse all 211,607 People quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When people find out what it is that's ticking in them, they get straightened out.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Campbell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-ticking-in-them-they-get/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "People"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-ticking-in-them-they-get/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joseph-campbell-300_people_when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-t_3143760.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When people find out what it is that's ticking in them, they get straightened out.” — Joseph Campbell",
                "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": "Joseph Campbell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When people find out what it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-ticking-in-them-they-get/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-people-find-out-what-it-is-that-s-ticking-in-them-they-get/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
