---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not enough to do, one must also…"
description: "\"It is not enough to do, one must also become. I wish to be wiser, stronger, better. This--\" I held out my hands \"--this thing that is me is incomplete...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg"
---

#  It is not enough to do, one must also become. I wish to be…

![“It is not enough to do, one must also become. I wish to be wiser, stronger, better. This--&quot; I held out my hands &quot;--this thing that is me is incomplete. It is only the raw material with which I have to work. I want to make it better than I received it.” quote by Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg)

> “It is not enough to do, one must also become. I wish to be wiser, stronger, better. This--" I held out my hands "--this thing that is me is incomplete. It is only the raw material with which I have to work. I want to make it better than I received it.”

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

## About This Quote

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

Personal growth requires both action and self‑development; we must actively shape our incomplete selves.

**In simple terms:** Improvement needs doing and becoming.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate habits that develop character.

Themes

self‑improvement potential discipline

Mood

reflective determined

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- learning new skills
- personal therapy
- creative projects

Key Concepts

raw material self‑actualization growth mindset

Questions to Reflect On

- What parts of yourself feel unfinished?
- How can you turn raw potential into achievement?

A Different Perspective

Self‑transformation can be hindered by external constraints or lack of resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/)

## Related quotes

> [“When I turn my mind's eye upon myself, I understand that I am a thing which is incomplete and dependent on another and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/when-i-turn-my-mind-s-eye-upon-myself-i-understand-that-i-am-a-thing/)

[René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/)

> [“You should never play safe with your heart. It doesn’t get to grow if you don’t take it out. You break it. You give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ford/you-should-never-play-safe-with-your-heart-it-doesn-t-get-to-grow-if/)

[Rhys Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ford/)

> [“She's held onto her sobriety better than she held into her husband.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/she-s-held-onto-her-sobriety-better-than-she-held-into-her-husband/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Whether it's to get stronger, get better cardio, get fitter or you want to lose weight, on the day-to-day scale, you're probably not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/whether-it-s-to-get-stronger-get-better-cardio-get-fitter-or-you-want/)

[Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/)

> [“We all want to be stronger and better. Sometimes just to prove that we're good enough to be respected…or loved".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-rowan/we-all-want-to-be-stronger-and-better-sometimes-just-to-prove-that-we/)

[Isabelle Rowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-rowan/)

> [Screw all this shit! I'm stronger and better than this God did not make me so I could wollow in self pitty! I'm movin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-cadoza/screw-all-this-shit-i-m-stronger-and-better-than-this-god-did-not/)

Keren Cadoza

> [I have been able to balance work and my personal life, and with the presence of a partner, I am stronger and better prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/i-have-been-able-to-balance-work-and-my-personal-life-and-with-the/)

[Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/)

> [Life is a competition not with others, but with ourselves. We should seek each day to live stronger, better, truer lives; each day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-haight/life-is-a-competition-not-with-others-but-with-ourselves-we-should/)

[David B. Haight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-haight/)

> [Just because we fall doesnt make us failures. It makes us stronger and better because we learn to pick ourselves up and move on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narcissus-dhungana/just-because-we-fall-doesnt-make-us-failures-it-makes-us-stronger-and/)

[Narcissus Dhungana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narcissus-dhungana/)

> [“What made me stronger and better? Pain and devastation- seeing the person I love in the wrong hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-teddy/what-made-me-stronger-and-better-pain-and-devastation-seeing-the/)

Serena Teddy

> [Democracy is stronger, is better, is more robust when people participate. We should want to encourage that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/democracy-is-stronger-is-better-is-more-robust-when-people/)

[Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/)

> [I don't like whining about the challenges I face while I work. I know they are for the better so I can rise stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mawra-hocane/i-don-t-like-whining-about-the-challenges-i-face-while-i-work-i-know/)

[Mawra Hocane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mawra-hocane/)

> [Yes! it get's hard But what's best, Is what's true. Whatever come's that you stay happy about, Let stay, Even through the worst. Life's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hailey-morgan/yes-it-get-s-hard-but-what-s-best-is-what-s-true-whatever-come-s-that/)

Hailey Morgan

> [We think of strangers as stronger and better than we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/we-think-of-strangers-as-stronger-and-better-than-we-are/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [People will knock you down and make fun of you but you can't stay down. Show them that you're stronger than them…show them that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-will-knock-you-down-and-make-fun-of-you-but-you-can-t-stay/)

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

## More by Louis L'Amour

> [“If you play games with men,” he replied, “you’ll play by men’s rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/if-you-play-games-with-men-he-replied-you-ll-play-by-men-s-rules/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [He never knew when he was whipped ... So he never was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-never-knew-when-he-was-whipped-so-he-never-was/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“It is through wonder that we come to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-through-wonder-that-we-come-to-know/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [We are, finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge. Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/we-are-finally-all-wanderers-in-search-of-knowledge-most-of-us-hold/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [Much of command is the ability to take command.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/much-of-command-is-the-ability-to-take-command/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [Out here you better have a gun, and a gun in the wagon ain't good for nothin'. I believe what the old Quaker said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/out-here-you-better-have-a-gun-and-a-gun-in-the-wagon-ain-t-good-for/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“he had been so right, and she hated him for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-had-been-so-right-and-she-hated-him-for-it/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“I will go with you, and when you make your camp, I will cook your meat, and when you wish to sleep, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-will-go-with-you-and-when-you-make-your-camp-i-will-cook-your-meat/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [Men strive for peace, but it is their enemies that give them strength, and I think if man no longer had enemies, he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/men-strive-for-peace-but-it-is-their-enemies-that-give-them-strength/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/there-will-come-a-time-when-you-believe-everything-is-finished-yet/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“Destarte! How musical! What does it mean?” “You can’t say it except in Mescalero. It means Morning, but that isn’t what it means, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/destarte-how-musical-what-does-it-mean-you-can-t-say-it-except-in/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [You can't fight the desert... you have to ride with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/you-can-t-fight-the-desert-you-have-to-ride-with-it/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“Must one seek something? I seek to be seeking, as I learn to be learning. Each book is an adventure as is each day’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/must-one-seek-something-i-seek-to-be-seeking-as-i-learn-to-be/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [A man in his life may have many teachers, some most unexpected. The question lies with the man himself: Will he learn from them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-man-in-his-life-may-have-many-teachers-some-most-unexpected-the/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“Like I say, I killed a man or two but I'm no thief. My ma raised me better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/like-i-say-i-killed-a-man-or-two-but-i-m-no-thief-my-ma-raised-me/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

[Explore all 337 Louis L'Amour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

## More Enough quotes

> [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/)

[Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

Adam Ant

> [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/)

[Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/)

> [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/)

Rena Kornreich Gelissen

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/)

[Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/)

[James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/)

[Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/)

Browse all 23,898 Enough quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is not enough to do, one must also become. I wish to be wiser, stronger, better. This--\" I held out my hands \"--this thing that is me is incomplete. It is only the raw material with which I have to work. I want to make it better than I received it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Louis L'Amour"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-become-i-wish-to-be-wiser/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enough"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-become-i-wish-to-be-wiser/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/louis-l-amour-876_enough_it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-bec_438849.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is not enough to do, one must also become. I wish to be wiser, stronger, better. This--\" I held out my…” — Louis L'Amour",
                "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": "Louis L'Amour",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is not enough to do,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-become-i-wish-to-be-wiser/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/it-is-not-enough-to-do-one-must-also-become-i-wish-to-be-wiser/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
