---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter where your interest lies, you…"
description: "\"No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able to accomplish anything unless you bring your deepest devotion to it.\" — Matsuo Basho"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg"
---

#  No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able…

![“No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able to accomplish anything unless you bring your deepest devotion to it.” quote by Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg)

> “No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able to accomplish anything unless you bring your deepest devotion to it.”

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

## About This Quote

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

Deep devotion fuels mastery; without passion, effort yields little.

**In simple terms:** Passion drives achievement.

Key Takeaway

Invest wholehearted devotion in pursuits.

Themes

passion mastery dedication purpose

Mood

inspired focused

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- craftsmanship
- academic research
- entrepreneurship

Key Concepts

philosophy of art psychology of motivation creative practice

Questions to Reflect On

- What does your deepest devotion look like?
- How can you align passion with practical steps?

A Different Perspective

Passion alone may not guarantee success without skill.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Devotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devotion/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [The church and the whorehouse arrived in the Far West simultaneously. And each would have been horrified to think it was a different facet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/the-church-and-the-whorehouse-arrived-in-the-far-west-simultaneously/)

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

> [What is required from members of Congress and the public alike is a new spirit of devotion to the national welfare beyond party or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-bayh/what-is-required-from-members-of-congress-and-the-public-alike-is-a/)

[Evan Bayh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-bayh/)

> [It is this union of passionate interest in the detailed facts with equal devotion to abstract generalisation which forms the novelty in our present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-this-union-of-passionate-interest-in-the-detailed-facts-with/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Many of the things that have happened in the laboratory have happened in ways it would have been impossible to foresee, but not impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/many-of-the-things-that-have-happened-in-the-laboratory-have-happened/)

[Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/)

> [I am no poet. I do not love words for the sake of words. I love words for what they can accomplish. Similarly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-am-no-poet-i-do-not-love-words-for-the-sake-of-words-i-love-words/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [The State may justify a limitation on religious liberty by showing it is essential to accomplish an overriding governmental interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/the-state-may-justify-a-limitation-on-religious-liberty-by-showing-it/)

[Warren E. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/)

> [Daily simple, sincere, and mighty prayers lift our lives to a higher spiritual altitude. In our prayers we praise God, give thanks to Him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/daily-simple-sincere-and-mighty-prayers-lift-our-lives-to-a-higher/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

> [Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know...It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/every-holy-mass-heard-with-devotion-produces-in-our-souls-marvelous/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [I’d never known it was possible to love as he did— with complete devotion yet devoid of promises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/i-d-never-known-it-was-possible-to-love-as-he-did-with-complete/)

[Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/)

> [The discipline of daily devotion to God undergirds decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-louis-cole/the-discipline-of-daily-devotion-to-god-undergirds-decisions/)

[Edwin Louis Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-louis-cole/)

> [I have fallen in love with you my angel. I sought nothing of you but only to see that dazzling smile of yours once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-el-hallab/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-you-my-angel-i-sought-nothing-of-you-but/)

[Mahmoud El Hallab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-el-hallab/)

> [I can remember coming downstairs before school every day and my mom would be reading her Bible and doing her devotion and praying. Both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-fisher/i-can-remember-coming-downstairs-before-school-every-day-and-my-mom/)

[Mike Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-fisher/)

> [In freedom can be found many devotions: a devotion to love, a desire to believe, a willingness to be happy, a perseverance to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-freedom-can-be-found-many-devotions-a-devotion-to-love-a-desire-to/)

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

> [Devotion required by the Gita is no soft-hearted effusiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/devotion-required-by-the-gita-is-no-soft-hearted-effusiveness/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

## More by Matsuo Basho

> [Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-pine-if-you-want-to-learn-about-the-pine-or-to-the-bamboo/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Without the bitterest cold that penetrates to the very bone, how can plum blossoms send forth their fragrance to the whole world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/without-the-bitterest-cold-that-penetrates-to-the-very-bone-how-can/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Do not resemble me-Never be like a musk melon Cut in two identical halves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/do-not-resemble-me-never-be-like-a-musk-melon-cut-in-two-identical/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [When I speak My lips feel cold - The autumn wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/when-i-speak-my-lips-feel-cold-the-autumn-wind/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [“In the end, without skill or talent, I've given myself over entirely to poetry. Po Chu-i labored at it until he nearly burst. Tu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/in-the-end-without-skill-or-talent-i-ve-given-myself-over-entirely-to/)

[Matsuo Bashô](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests they are about to die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/nothing-in-the-cry-of-cicadas-suggests-they-are-about-to-die/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [A flute with no holes is not a flute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/a-flute-with-no-holes-is-not-a-flute/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [The sea darkens And a wild duck s call Is faintly white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/the-sea-darkens-and-a-wild-duck-s-call-is-faintly-white/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/do-not-seek-to-follow-in-the-footsteps-of-the-wise-seek-what-they/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Learn the rules, and then forget them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/learn-the-rules-and-then-forget-them/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Go to the object. Leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself. Do not impose yourself on the object. Become one with the object. Plunge deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-object-leave-your-subjective-preoccupation-with-yourself-do/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [A weathered skeleton in windy fields of memory, piercing like a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/a-weathered-skeleton-in-windy-fields-of-memory-piercing-like-a-knife/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [the universe and its beings are a complementarity of empty infinity, intimate interrelationships, and total uniqueness of each and every being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/the-universe-and-its-beings-are-a-complementarity-of-empty-infinity/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [The old pond, ah! A frog jumps in: The water's sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/the-old-pond-ah-a-frog-jumps-in-the-water-s-sound/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Without bitterest cold that penetrates to the very bone, how can plum blossoms send forth their fragrance all over the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/without-bitterest-cold-that-penetrates-to-the-very-bone-how-can-plum/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

[Explore all 93 Matsuo Basho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able to accomplish anything unless you bring your deepest devotion to it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Matsuo Basho"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-will-not-be-able-to-accomplish/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-will-not-be-able-to-accomplish/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/matsuo-basho-7207_able_no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-w_1002500.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No matter where your interest lies, you will not be able to accomplish anything unless you bring your…” — Matsuo Basho",
                "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": "Matsuo Basho",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No matter where your interest lies,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-will-not-be-able-to-accomplish/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/no-matter-where-your-interest-lies-you-will-not-be-able-to-accomplish/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```