--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difficult thing for me is that I want…" description: "\"The difficult thing for me is that I want basically to be a good man. That's what I want to be.\" — Karl Ove Knausgaard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/karl-ove-knausgaard-21990_a-good-man_the-difficult-thing-for-me-is-that-i-wan_111959.jpg" --- # The difficult thing for me is that I want basically to be… ![“The difficult thing for me is that I want basically to be a good man. That's what I want to be.” quote by Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/karl-ove-knausgaard-21990_a-good-man_the-difficult-thing-for-me-is-that-i-wan_111959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/karl-ove-knausgaard-21990_a-good-man_the-difficult-thing-for-me-is-that-i-wan_111959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/karl-ove-knausgaard-21990_a-good-man_the-difficult-thing-for-me-is-that-i-wan_111959.jpg) > “The difficult thing for me is that I want basically to be a good man. That's what I want to be.” [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) ## 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 expresses a simple, earnest desire to be a good person, indicating a moral self‑assessment that drives his actions. **In simple terms:** He wants to be a good man. Key Takeaway Moral intention is a core personal goal. Themes ethics self‑identity purpose Mood thoughtful sincere Type philosophical statement personal credo When to use this quote - making ethical decisions - seeking personal improvement - confessing mistakes Key Concepts integrity self‑reflection Practical Applications - Set clear personal values - regularly evaluate behavior against them Questions to Reflect On - What does being a 'good man' mean to you? - How do you measure success in moral terms? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-thing/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) ## Related quotes > [For a man, there's a big responsibility that comes with having a boy because men are made by their fathers. If you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/for-a-man-there-s-a-big-responsibility-that-comes-with-having-a-boy/) [Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/) > [Sisters, if you got a good man, honor him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-nique/sisters-if-you-got-a-good-man-honor-him/) [Mo'Nique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-nique/) > [My father was a good man, but he was a con man. He was a wanderer, nomadic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-aiello/my-father-was-a-good-man-but-he-was-a-con-man-he-was-a-wanderer/) [Danny Aiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-aiello/) > [I've known Dennis Kucinich for a long time, and I don't think I have illusions about him. Sometimes I find him pompous, male chauvinistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-ve-known-dennis-kucinich-for-a-long-time-and-i-don-t-think-i-have/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Musharraf is a good man and wants to improve relations with India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalu-prasad-yadav/musharraf-is-a-good-man-and-wants-to-improve-relations-with-india/) [Lalu Prasad Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalu-prasad-yadav/) > [Making a feature like 'Hotel 3' or 'Hotel 2' is kind of fun and jokey. It doesn't take itself too seriously. You could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/making-a-feature-like-hotel-3-or-hotel-2-is-kind-of-fun-and-jokey-it/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [I like to do films that I would want to go see, basically. I'm not out to make a fast buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-like-to-do-films-that-i-would-want-to-go-see-basically-i-m-not-out/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [Don't run for mayor if you don't want to basically be working all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-garcetti/don-t-run-for-mayor-if-you-don-t-want-to-basically-be-working-all-the/) [Eric Garcetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-garcetti/) > [I can do anything I want, basically, as long as it doesn't involve athletic ability, or something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-can-do-anything-i-want-basically-as-long-as-it-doesn-t-involve/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [My grandfather was an amazing man. You talk about character and integrity, everyone who knew him, whether they agreed with him or not, said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tagg-romney/my-grandfather-was-an-amazing-man-you-talk-about-character-and/) [Tagg Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tagg-romney/) > [If I wasn't Eddie Albert's son, I'd be someone else's. It gave me a chance to do a lot of traveling, but mostly I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-wasn-t-eddie-albert-s-son-i-d-be-someone-else-s-it-gave-me-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I bring the songs that aren't about me or related to me to life. It's like the song 'How Do I Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-jones/i-think-i-bring-the-songs-that-aren-t-about-me-or-related-to-me-to/) [Sharon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-jones/) > [We saw what happened in Jimmy Carter's administration. President Carter was a good man with the best of intentions. But he came to Washington…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hunt/we-saw-what-happened-in-jimmy-carter-s-administration-president/) [Jim Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hunt/) > [My father was an insurance man and a small-time gambler. He was a good man, but he had an eye for the racehorses, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/my-father-was-an-insurance-man-and-a-small-time-gambler-he-was-a-good/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [You can only push a good man so far till he breaks then you will begin to see the side you don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-only-push-a-good-man-so-far-till-he-breaks-then-you-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Karl Ove Knausgaard > [I do feel guilty. I do. Especially about my family, my children. I write about them, and I know that this will haunt them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/i-do-feel-guilty-i-do-especially-about-my-family-my-children-i-write/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [It's one thing to be banal, stupid, and idiotic on the inside. It's another to have it captured in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/it-s-one-thing-to-be-banal-stupid-and-idiotic-on-the-inside-it-s/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [“As your perspective of the world increases not only is the pain it inflicts on you less but also its meaning. Understanding the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/as-your-perspective-of-the-world-increases-not-only-is-the-pain-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [When it comes to memories of that iconic type, memories that are burned into you, I have maybe ten or so from my childhood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/when-it-comes-to-memories-of-that-iconic-type-memories-that-are/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [I am happy because I am no longer an author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/i-am-happy-because-i-am-no-longer-an-author/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [Life develops, changes, is in motion. The forms of literature are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/life-develops-changes-is-in-motion-the-forms-of-literature-are-not/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [“Why should you live in a world without feeling its weight?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/why-should-you-live-in-a-world-without-feeling-its-weight/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [Form is, in a way, death. A novelist's obligation is to break free from the form, even though he knows that this will also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/form-is-in-a-way-death-a-novelist-s-obligation-is-to-break-free-from/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [You can write a radical Norwegian or a conservative Norwegian. And when I changed to a conservative Norwegian, I gained this distance or objectivity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/you-can-write-a-radical-norwegian-or-a-conservative-norwegian-and/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [My memory is basically visual: that's what I remember, rooms and landscapes. What I do not remember are what the people in these room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/my-memory-is-basically-visual-that-s-what-i-remember-rooms-and/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [“Until I moved to Stockhold I had felt there was a continuity to my life, as if it stretched unbroken from childhood up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/until-i-moved-to-stockhold-i-had-felt-there-was-a-continuity-to-my/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [“Writing is more about destroying than creating" (195).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/writing-is-more-about-destroying-than-creating-195/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [I'm giving away my family's story. Who owns the family's story? I don't. But you could turn it around and ask, 'Who is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/i-m-giving-away-my-family-s-story-who-owns-the-family-s-story-i-don-t/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [My intention throughout has been to write, to create literature, and to be able to look people in the eye after I'd done it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/my-intention-throughout-has-been-to-write-to-create-literature-and-to/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [Concealing what is shameful to you will never lead to anything of value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/concealing-what-is-shameful-to-you-will-never-lead-to-anything-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) [Explore all 28 Karl Ove Knausgaard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) ## More A good man quotes > [For a man, there's a big responsibility that comes with having a boy because men are made by their fathers. If you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/for-a-man-there-s-a-big-responsibility-that-comes-with-having-a-boy/) [Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/) > [Sisters, if you got a good man, honor him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-nique/sisters-if-you-got-a-good-man-honor-him/) [Mo'Nique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-nique/) > [My father was a good man, but he was a con man. He was a wanderer, nomadic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-aiello/my-father-was-a-good-man-but-he-was-a-con-man-he-was-a-wanderer/) [Danny Aiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-aiello/) > [I've known Dennis Kucinich for a long time, and I don't think I have illusions about him. Sometimes I find him pompous, male chauvinistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-ve-known-dennis-kucinich-for-a-long-time-and-i-don-t-think-i-have/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Musharraf is a good man and wants to improve relations with India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalu-prasad-yadav/musharraf-is-a-good-man-and-wants-to-improve-relations-with-india/) [Lalu Prasad Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalu-prasad-yadav/) > [We saw what happened in Jimmy Carter's administration. President Carter was a good man with the best of intentions. But he came to Washington…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hunt/we-saw-what-happened-in-jimmy-carter-s-administration-president/) [Jim Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hunt/) > [You can only push a good man so far till he breaks then you will begin to see the side you don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-only-push-a-good-man-so-far-till-he-breaks-then-you-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My grandfather was an amazing man. You talk about character and integrity, everyone who knew him, whether they agreed with him or not, said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tagg-romney/my-grandfather-was-an-amazing-man-you-talk-about-character-and/) [Tagg Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tagg-romney/) > [If I wasn't Eddie Albert's son, I'd be someone else's. It gave me a chance to do a lot of traveling, but mostly I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-wasn-t-eddie-albert-s-son-i-d-be-someone-else-s-it-gave-me-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I bring the songs that aren't about me or related to me to life. It's like the song 'How Do I Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-jones/i-think-i-bring-the-songs-that-aren-t-about-me-or-related-to-me-to/) [Sharon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-jones/) > [My father was an insurance man and a small-time gambler. He was a good man, but he had an eye for the racehorses, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/my-father-was-an-insurance-man-and-a-small-time-gambler-he-was-a-good/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [In order to be rated as good as a good man in the field of her earnings, she must show herself better than he.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/in-order-to-be-rated-as-good-as-a-good-man-in-the-field-of-her/) [Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/) > [John Danforth, I thought, was a great senator and did a great job with the United Nations. I think he's a good man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-mehlman/john-danforth-i-thought-was-a-great-senator-and-did-a-great-job-with-2/) [Ken Mehlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-mehlman/) > [I love Russell Crowe's line to Oliver Reed in 'Gladiator' where he asks him, 'Are you in danger of becoming a good man?' It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-banks/i-love-russell-crowe-s-line-to-oliver-reed-in-gladiator-where-he-asks/) [Jonathan Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-banks/) > [Working for President Nixon was the most extraordinary professional experience of my life. He was endlessly fascinating: brilliant, visionary, kind, generous, warm, funny -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/working-for-president-nixon-was-the-most-extraordinary-professional/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) Browse all 24 A good man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The difficult thing for me is that I want basically to be a good man. 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