--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try to keep in my mind the simple…" description: "\"I try to keep in my mind the simple question: Am I trying to do good or make myself look good? Too many of our responsibilities get added to our plate ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/kevin-deyoung-1086_acquire_i-try-to-keep-in-my-mind-the-simple-ques_3075082.png" --- # I try to keep in my mind the simple question: Am I trying… ![“I try to keep in my mind the simple question: Am I trying to do good or make myself look good? Too many of our responsibilities get added to our plate when we are trying to please people, impress people, prove ourselves, acquire power, increase our prestige. All those motivations are about looking…” quote by Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/kevin-deyoung-1086_acquire_i-try-to-keep-in-my-mind-the-simple-ques_3075082.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/kevin-deyoung-1086_acquire_i-try-to-keep-in-my-mind-the-simple-ques_3075082.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/kevin-deyoung-1086_acquire_i-try-to-keep-in-my-mind-the-simple-ques_3075082.png) > “I try to keep in my mind the simple question: Am I trying to do good or make myself look good? Too many of our responsibilities get added to our plate when we are trying to please people, impress people, prove ourselves, acquire power, increase our prestige. All those motivations are about looking good more than doing good.” [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must examine motives, distinguishing genuine service from self‑promotion, as many duties become vanity when driven by desire for approval or status. **In simple terms:** Ask if actions serve good or self‑image. Key Takeaway Prioritize integrity over reputation. Themes motivation integrity service humility Mood introspective encouraging serious Type ethical spiritual practical When to use this quote - volunteering - career choices - public speaking - social media engagement Key Concepts theology psychology leadership Questions to Reflect On - What tasks do you do for image? - How can you shift focus to genuine good? A Different Perspective Self‑assessment can be uncomfortable and may reveal hidden pride. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquire/) [Doing good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-good/) [Impress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impress/) [Increase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increase/) [Look good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-good/) [Looking good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-good/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Motivations Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivations-looking-5219780/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plates/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Prestige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prestige/) [Prestige Motivations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prestige-motivations-5219781/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-good/) ## Related quotes > [Am I trying to do good or to make myself look good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/am-i-trying-to-do-good-or-to-make-myself-look-good/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [ If I didn't have \[a\] wife, maybe I can say, 'Yeah, I'm disappointed I'm not maybe good looking.' ... I don't know about China,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolay-davydenko/if-i-didn-t-have-a-wife-maybe-i-can-say-yeah-i-m-disappointed-i-m-not/) [Nikolay Davydenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolay-davydenko/) > [I guess I'm just trying to be a good person given the outlet that I've chosen, so I'll approach the people I'm writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-guess-i-m-just-trying-to-be-a-good-person-given-the-outlet-that-i/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [At the end of the day, when you're trying to do good, that's all that matters. Whether it's in a different aspect than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-yelich/at-the-end-of-the-day-when-you-re-trying-to-do-good-that-s-all-that/) [Christian Yelich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-yelich/) > [Why can't it be awesome to work for a food company? Why can't we create an environment where people are trying to push each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/why-can-t-it-be-awesome-to-work-for-a-food-company-why-can-t-we/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [“I was just trying to be a very good human, instead I became a hero.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-was-just-trying-to-be-a-very-good-human-instead-i-became-a-hero/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Something I try to instill in others is to just be a good person. It's a decision you make a million times a day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/something-i-try-to-instill-in-others-is-to-just-be-a-good-person-it-s/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [I always try to think about what I can do to let people know that I'm just like everyone else. I have two girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-carrera/i-always-try-to-think-about-what-i-can-do-to-let-people-know-that-i-m/) [Carmen Carrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-carrera/) > [We're trying to get good pictures. Don't worry very much about what I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/we-re-trying-to-get-good-pictures-don-t-worry-very-much-about-what-i/) [Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/) > [I am trying to be a good person every day and do what my parents teach me when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-martin-del-potro/i-am-trying-to-be-a-good-person-every-day-and-do-what-my-parents/) [Juan Martin del Potro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-martin-del-potro/) > [The point of Silicon Valley at least when I moved here was we're all trying to do stuff and none of us quite felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamath-palihapitiya/the-point-of-silicon-valley-at-least-when-i-moved-here-was-we-re-all/) [Chamath Palihapitiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamath-palihapitiya/) > [Nobody is perfectly good. We're all trying to be good. To be better everyday. And we should never give up on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/nobody-is-perfectly-good-we-re-all-trying-to-be-good-to-be-better/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Trying is good enough, but doing it is what has to be done. So quit trying and just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-nkgoeng/trying-is-good-enough-but-doing-it-is-what-has-to-be-done-so-quit/) [Vincent Nkgoeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-nkgoeng/) > [I'm always trying to have a good time on set because that's when things happen. That's when you're playful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/i-m-always-trying-to-have-a-good-time-on-set-because-that-s-when/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Kevin DeYoung > [“Worry about the future is not simply a character tic, it is the sin of unbelief, an indication that our hearts are not resting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/worry-about-the-future-is-not-simply-a-character-tic-it-is-the-sin-of/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/there-is-nothing-gray-about-whether-a-follower-of-christ-should-see/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [A catechism is simply a tool for teaching the fundamentals of the faith. 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It’s the fight to live out the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-pursuit-of-holiness-is-not-a-quixotic-effort-to-do-just-what/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Offendedness is just about the last shared moral currency in our country. And, I'm sorry, but it's really annoying. We don't discuss ideas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/offendedness-is-just-about-the-last-shared-moral-currency-in-our/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [The finality of Christs redemption for us is intimately tied to the finality of his revelation to us. . . . If we say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-finality-of-christs-redemption-for-us-is-intimately-tied-to-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Everything before Jesus is preface. Everything after Jesus is appendix. Jesus is the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/everything-before-jesus-is-preface-everything-after-jesus-is-appendix/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Sometimes feeling overwhelmed is part of what it means to be a Christian. You can't bear somebody else's burden unless you are taking something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/sometimes-feeling-overwhelmed-is-part-of-what-it-means-to-be-a/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“Faith and good works are both necessary. But one is the root and the other the fruit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/faith-and-good-works-are-both-necessary-but-one-is-the-root-and-the/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) [Explore all 295 Kevin DeYoung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) ## More Acquire quotes > [Most people seek after what they do not possess and are enslaved by the very things they want to acquire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/most-people-seek-after-what-they-do-not-possess-and-are-enslaved-by/) [Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behavior accordingly. If your new behavior gives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/acquire-worldly-wisdom-and-adjust-your-behavior-accordingly-if-your/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [This was Shakespeare's form ; Who walk'd in every path of human life, Felt every passion ; and to all mankind Doth now, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-akenside/this-was-shakespeare-s-form-who-walk-d-in-every-path-of-human-life/) [Mark Akenside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-akenside/) > [Wasn't Saddam destroyed? Wasn't Gaddafi liquidated? Didn't Milosevic go to the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived. Kim Jong-un isn't doing too badly, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/wasn-t-saddam-destroyed-wasn-t-gaddafi-liquidated-didn-t-milosevic-go/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [The best way for women to acquire knowledge is from conversation with a father, a brother, or a friend, in the way of family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-letitia-barbauld/the-best-way-for-women-to-acquire-knowledge-is-from-conversation-with/) [Anna Letitia Barbauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-letitia-barbauld/) > [Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do anything, believe anything in order to acquire it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/have-you-ever-wanted-something-so-badly-that-you-would-do-anything/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. 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No matter how smart you are, no matter how comprehensive your education, no matter how wide ranging your experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-can-t-know-it-all-no-matter-how-smart-you-are-no-matter-how/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [A better distribution of incomes would increase that efficiency by diverting a great fund of wealth from the useless to the useful members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-better-distribution-of-incomes-would-increase-that-efficiency-by/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. 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To acquire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-harner/shamanism-is-a-path-of-knowledge-not-of-faith-and-that-knowledge/) [Michael Harner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-harner/) [Browse all 1,020 Acquire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try to keep in my mind the simple question: Am I trying to do good or make myself look good? Too many of our responsibilities get added to our plate when we are trying to please people, impress people, prove ourselves, acquire power, increase our prestige. 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