--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The meaningful question is never what we…" description: "\"The meaningful question is never what we did yesterday, but what we have learned from it and are doing today.\" — Marianne Williamson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png" --- # The meaningful question is never what we did yesterday… ![“The meaningful question is never what we did yesterday, but what we have learned from it and are doing today.” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png) > “The meaningful question is never what we did yesterday, but what we have learned from it and are doing today.” [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## 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 urges focusing on lessons learned and present actions rather than past deeds. **In simple terms:** Focus on learning and current actions. Key Takeaway Apply today’s lessons now. Themes growth reflection action Mood thoughtful inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - education - career decisions - daily habits Key Concepts learning mindset purpose Questions to Reflect On - What have you learned that can improve today? - How do you turn lessons into action? A Different Perspective Past actions cannot be changed; only present actions matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-today-265074/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Meaningful Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-question-567119/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) [Yesterday Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday-learned-3127697/) ## Related quotes > [The quality of festival Q&As is often a matter of chance. Sometimes the lights come up on movies I loved, and not a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yance-ford/the-quality-of-festival-q-as-is-often-a-matter-of-chance-sometimes/) [Yance Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yance-ford/) > [“At the critical juncture in all human relationships, there is only one question: What would love do now? No other question is relevant, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/at-the-critical-juncture-in-all-human-relationships-there-is-only-one-2/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Not yesterday I learned to know The love of bare November days Before the coming of the snow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/not-yesterday-i-learned-to-know-the-love-of-bare-november-days-before/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“I will be better tomorrow than I was yesterday, for I have learned something today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-cowan/i-will-be-better-tomorrow-than-i-was-yesterday-for-i-have-learned/) [Alexa Cowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-cowan/) > [If you were graduated yesterday, and have learned nothing today, you will be uneducated tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-were-graduated-yesterday-and-have-learned-nothing-today-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm smarter today than I was yesterday, because I learned something new and I gave myself permission to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-smarter-today-than-i-was-yesterday-because-i-learned-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you aren't doing what you want to be doing today, and you're not doing something to change that, tomorrow will likely be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-aren-t-doing-what-you-want-to-be-doing-today-and-you-re-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever, I copied all through school, and look how well I’m doing today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-young/whatever-i-copied-all-through-school-and-look-how-well-i-m-doing-today/) [Adrian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-young/) > [Are you doing what you're doing today because you want to do it, or because it's what you were doing yesterday?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/are-you-doing-what-you-re-doing-today-because-you-want-to-do-it-or/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) > [“Don’t put off till tomorrow anyone you could be doing today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/don-t-put-off-till-tomorrow-anyone-you-could-be-doing-today/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [Happy Sunday to everybody. :) its all about doing nothing today...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/happy-sunday-to-everybody-its-all-about-doing-nothing-today/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) > [I find that every day is not about where I'll be tomorrow, but it's about what I'm doing today and staying in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serinda-swan/i-find-that-every-day-is-not-about-where-i-ll-be-tomorrow-but-it-s/) [Serinda Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serinda-swan/) > [There is no difference, really, between doing something today and doing something tomorrow, when you only have one life to live! Afterall, tomorrow may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-difference-really-between-doing-something-today-and-doing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't feel like doing anything today….. Except Luke Bryan... I'll do him! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-feel-like-doing-anything-today-except-luke-bryan-i-ll-do-him/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never plan tomorrow because I don’t even know what I’m doing today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/i-never-plan-tomorrow-because-i-don-t-even-know-what-i-m-doing-today/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) ## More by Marianne Williamson > [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/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. 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You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-is-not-too-late-you-are-not-too-old-you-are-right-on-time-and-you/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I tell my mother I went to God in spite of my religious education. I feel that my religious education was inadequate, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-tell-my-mother-i-went-to-god-in-spite-of-my-religious-education-i/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-i-surrender-this-thought-to-you-for-i-would-see-the-miracle/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Explore all 1,347 Marianne Williamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The meaningful question is never what we did yesterday, but what we have learned from it and are doing today.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marianne Williamson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we-did-yesterday-but-what-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we-did-yesterday-but-what-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/marianne-williamson-90_inspirational_the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we_3182827.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The meaningful question is never what we did yesterday, but what we have learned from it and are doing today.” — Marianne Williamson", "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": "Marianne Williamson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The meaningful question is never what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we-did-yesterday-but-what-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-meaningful-question-is-never-what-we-did-yesterday-but-what-we/#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 } } ] } ```