--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You must see your goals clearly and…" description: "\"You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature.\" — Les Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png" --- # You must see your goals clearly and specifically before… ![“You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature.” quote by Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png) > “You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature.” [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clear, specific goals must be visualized repeatedly until they become ingrained, enabling decisive action toward them. **In simple terms:** Visualize goals clearly and repeatedly. Key Takeaway Make goals vivid and habitual. Themes goal‑setting visualization focus discipline Mood motivational practical Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - academic achievement - fitness training - creative projects Key Concepts psychology of habit performance mindset Questions to Reflect On - How detailed should a mental picture of a goal be? - What habits help keep a goal in mind? A Different Perspective Over‑visualization can lead to analysis paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Visualization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visualization/) ## Related quotes > [I may err but I am not a heretic, for the first has to do with the mind and the second with the will!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/i-may-err-but-i-am-not-a-heretic-for-the-first-has-to-do-with-the/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [There is the will of the people, there is the will of the mind! Always be at the side of the second one! The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-is-the-will-of-the-people-there-is-the-will-of-the-mind-always/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Define your business goals clearly so that others can see them as you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/define-your-business-goals-clearly-so-that-others-can-see-them-as-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you are not making the progress that you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-meyer/if-you-are-not-making-the-progress-that-you-would-like-to-make-and/) [Paul J. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-meyer/) > [Goals too clearly defined can become blinkers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/goals-too-clearly-defined-can-become-blinkers/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [If we keep a goal firmly in mind, we will know when we have reached it. This gives us a sense of accomplishment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/if-we-keep-a-goal-firmly-in-mind-we-will-know-when-we-have-reached-it/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I don't mind being second Beathie. As long as I'm last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-morrison/i-don-t-mind-being-second-beathie-as-long-as-i-m-last/) [Angela Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-morrison/) > [I don't trip all over my ego. I don't mind being a second banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conchata-ferrell/i-don-t-trip-all-over-my-ego-i-don-t-mind-being-a-second-banana/) [Conchata Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conchata-ferrell/) > [Virtually nothing on earth can stop a person with a positive attitude who has his goals clearly in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/virtually-nothing-on-earth-can-stop-a-person-with-a-positive-attitude/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [Success is achieved twice. Once in the mind and the second time in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azim-premji/success-is-achieved-twice-once-in-the-mind-and-the-second-time-in-the/) [Azim Premji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azim-premji/) > [See yourself confronting your fears in your mind's eye and handling those fears like a champ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/see-yourself-confronting-your-fears-in-your-mind-s-eye-and-handling/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [“Have you ever had a lyric from a really crappy song or advertising jingle get stuck in your head? Something that just won't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-leatham/have-you-ever-had-a-lyric-from-a-really-crappy-song-or-advertising/) [Victoria Leatham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-leatham/) > [“You know, Molly, if you can hold in your mind what you want long enough, you shall have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-allan-rees/you-know-molly-if-you-can-hold-in-your-mind-what-you-want-long-enough/) [Kent Allan Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-allan-rees/) > [Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-you-hold-in-your-mind-will-tend-to-occur-in-your-life-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More by Les Brown > [All of us need to grow continuously in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/all-of-us-need-to-grow-continuously-in-our-lives/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [When a show fails to destroy the competition-and it can fail while attracting 20 million viewers-it is itself destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/when-a-show-fails-to-destroy-the-competition-and-it-can-fail-while/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [There is nothing more powerful than a changed mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/there-is-nothing-more-powerful-than-a-changed-mind/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [It's not over until I (you) win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/it-s-not-over-until-i-you-win/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [There are winners, there are losers and there are people who have not yet learned how to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/there-are-winners-there-are-losers-and-there-are-people-who-have-not/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [If you are not willing to risk, you cannot become your best, and if you cannot become your best, you cannot be happy. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/if-you-are-not-willing-to-risk-you-cannot-become-your-best-and-if-you/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [We have the responsibility to put our gifts to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/we-have-the-responsibility-to-put-our-gifts-to-work/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [If you do what is easy, your life will be hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/if-you-do-what-is-easy-your-life-will-be-hard/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Failure is not a destination; it’s an invitation to unforeseen VICTORIES.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/failure-is-not-a-destination-it-s-an-invitation-to-unforeseen/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Avoid head trash. Don't be a garbage can for anything that does not feed your intellect, stimulate your imagination, or make you a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/avoid-head-trash-don-t-be-a-garbage-can-for-anything-that-does-not/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/too-many-of-us-are-not-living-our-dreams-because-we-are-living-our/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Practice only makes for improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/practice-only-makes-for-improvement/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [“Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you'll land among the stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/shoot-for-the-moon-and-even-if-you-miss-you-ll-land-among-the-stars/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [If you run around with 9 losers pretty soon you'll be the 10th loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/if-you-run-around-with-9-losers-pretty-soon-you-ll-be-the-10th-loser/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Don't confuse who you are with the results that you produce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/don-t-confuse-who-you-are-with-the-results-that-you-produce/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) [Explore all 201 Les Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) ## More Goal quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [According to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/according-to-the-best-research-less-than-3-of-americans-have-written/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“my role my goal my dream my life not yours -all mine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emi-sisk/my-role-my-goal-my-dream-my-life-not-yours-all-mine/) Emi Sisk > [Eugenic goals are most likely to be attained under another name than eugenics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-osborn/eugenic-goals-are-most-likely-to-be-attained-under-another-name-than/) [Frederick Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-osborn/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Everybody tries to score a great goal, and I am lucky I have netted a few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zlatan-ibrahimovic/everybody-tries-to-score-a-great-goal-and-i-am-lucky-i-have-netted-a/) [Zlatan Ibrahimovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zlatan-ibrahimovic/) > [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/if-your-only-goal-is-to-become-rich-you-will-never-achieve-it/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [When you look around the room during meetings and practice, you see that everyone has the same goal. It's obvious by the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kendricks/when-you-look-around-the-room-during-meetings-and-practice-you-see/) Eric Kendricks > [I like to wake up and just feel gratitude. Gratitude for waking up, for my health, for my kids, for my family. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/i-like-to-wake-up-and-just-feel-gratitude-gratitude-for-waking-up-for/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [“Dreams will come true as long as you give some effort towards your goal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayana/dreams-will-come-true-as-long-as-you-give-some-effort-towards-your/) Dayana > [“There are two kinds of people: goal-oriented and ego-oriented. Goal-oriented people work together and get things gone. Ego-oriented people don’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-goal-oriented-and-ego-oriented-goal/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) [Browse all 9,890 Goal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Les Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-specifically-before-you-can-set/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Goal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-specifically-before-you-can-set/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/les-brown-1868_goal_you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-spec_2305210.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind…” — Les Brown", "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": "Les Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You must see your goals clearly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-specifically-before-you-can-set/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/you-must-see-your-goals-clearly-and-specifically-before-you-can-set/#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 } } ] } ```