---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Possibility. Was that all that it took to…"
description: "\"“Possibility. Was that all that it took to feel alive? Could it be that it wasn’t getting the thing you desire itself but the anticipation, the struggl..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg"
---

#  Possibility. Was that all that it took to feel alive?…

![“Possibility. Was that all that it took to feel alive? Could it be that it wasn’t getting the thing you desire itself but the anticipation, the struggle, the dream of it that makes living so amazing? Was it that simple?” quote by Lise McClendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg)

> ““Possibility. Was that all that it took to feel alive? Could it be that it wasn’t getting the thing you desire itself but the anticipation, the struggle, the dream of it that makes living so amazing? Was it that simple?””

[Lise McClendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lise-mcclendon/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that anticipation, desire, and the struggle toward a goal generate a sense of aliveness more than the achievement itself.

**In simple terms:** Anticipation fuels feeling alive more than getting what you want.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the journey, not just the outcome.

Themes

motivation desire mindset anticipation growth

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- creative projects
- personal development
- relationship building

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism goal pursuit

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives you more: the chase or the catch?
- How can you sustain excitement after achieving a goal?

A Different Perspective

The excitement may fade once the goal is reached, leaving a void.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire Anticipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-anticipation-5038395/) [Feel Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-alive-260912/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Possibility Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility-took-5038394/) [Struggle Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-dream-2794026/)

## Related quotes

> [“It's you who create your own future, be strong, struggle for your own dream, because no one will bring it for you, and yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marwa-essam/it-s-you-who-create-your-own-future-be-strong-struggle-for-your-own/)

[Marwa Essam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marwa-essam/)

> [“We struggle with dream figures and our blows fall on living faces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/we-struggle-with-dream-figures-and-our-blows-fall-on-living-faces/)

[Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/)

> [A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/a-good-movie-can-take-you-out-of-your-dull-funk-and-the-hopelessness/)

[Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/)

> [“We love the things that destroy us, because in that destruction we truly feel alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pobi/we-love-the-things-that-destroy-us-because-in-that-destruction-we/)

[Robert Pobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pobi/)

> [“The only thing that will ever be real, is this moment,' I turned to the statue, 'when you made me feel alive, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-hachton/the-only-thing-that-will-ever-be-real-is-this-moment-i-turned-to-the/)

[Rae Hachton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-hachton/)

> [“Ordinary goodness is fraught with veins of vanity and self-interest and above all with pleasure--because goodness makes you feel more alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/ordinary-goodness-is-fraught-with-veins-of-vanity-and-self-interest/)

[Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/)

> [“The best thing about my writing is that it makes me feel alive again. If I am going to be obsessed with self, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd/the-best-thing-about-my-writing-is-that-it-makes-me-feel-alive-again/)

[David Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd/)

> [It's both exciting and scary, I feel my heart and skin when I receive a ball. Of course I'm excited and scared but those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willy-caballero/it-s-both-exciting-and-scary-i-feel-my-heart-and-skin-when-i-receive/)

[Willy Caballero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willy-caballero/)

> [Like the brightest star, you shine through. Ashley baby, you make me feel so alive. I've got purpose once again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/escape-the-fate/like-the-brightest-star-you-shine-through-ashley-baby-you-make-me/)

[Escape The Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/escape-the-fate/)

> [I don't write poems with a purpose in mind, but I'd hope that some readers would find their experiences mirrored or articulated here -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-landau/i-don-t-write-poems-with-a-purpose-in-mind-but-i-d-hope-that-some/)

[Deborah Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-landau/)

> [Playing interesting characters makes me feel alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawad-khan/playing-interesting-characters-makes-me-feel-alive/)

[Fawad Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawad-khan/)

> [I could lie, could lie, could lie. Everything thats kills me, makes me feel alive,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/i-could-lie-could-lie-could-lie-everything-thats-kills-me-makes-me/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [She made me feel alive. &lt;3 :\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-made-me-feel-alive-3/)

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

> [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [As a sports fan, the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup makes me feel very alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/five-for-fighting/as-a-sports-fan-the-los-angeles-kings-winning-the-stanley-cup-makes/)

[Five for Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/five-for-fighting/)

## More by Lise McClendon

> [“Tristan the child had been gone for a long time. He had gone where children go, slipped away into manhood as if he’d never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/tristan-the-child-had-been-gone-for-a-long-time-he-had-gone-where/)

[Lise McClendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lise-mcclendon/)

> [“I am a book. Sheaves pressed from the pulp of oaks and pines a natural sawdust made dingy from purses, dusty from shelves. Steamy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/i-am-a-book-sheaves-pressed-from-the-pulp-of-oaks-and-pines-a-natural/)

[Lise McClendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lise-mcclendon/)

[Explore all 3 Lise McClendon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lise-mcclendon/)

## More Possibility quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/)

[Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [If you take text and image and you put them together, the multiple readings that are possible in either poetry or in something visual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hell/if-you-take-text-and-image-and-you-put-them-together-the-multiple/)

[Richard Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hell/)

> [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/)

[Harold McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-mcgee/)

> [If you allow for the possibilities of something better, you move toward it instinctively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-allow-for-the-possibilities-of-something-better-you-move/)

[Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/)

> [Beware of the strong possibility that any state of a human, whether good or bad, might be the case of any other fellow human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/beware-of-the-strong-possibility-that-any-state-of-a-human-whether/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/)

[Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/)

> [Unbounded awareness is the reservoir of possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/unbounded-awareness-is-the-reservoir-of-possibilities/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/)

[Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/)

[Browse all 4,723 Possibility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Possibility. Was that all that it took to feel alive? Could it be that it wasn’t getting the thing you desire itself but the anticipation, the struggle, the dream of it that makes living so amazing? Was it that simple?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lise McClendon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to-feel-alive-could-it-be-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Possibility"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to-feel-alive-could-it-be-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/lise-mcclendon-88406_quote_possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to_1421890.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Possibility. Was that all that it took to feel alive? Could it be that it wasn’t getting the thing you…” — Lise McClendon",
                "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": "Lise McClendon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lise-mcclendon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Possibility. Was that all that it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to-feel-alive-could-it-be-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-mcclendon/possibility-was-that-all-that-it-took-to-feel-alive-could-it-be-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
