--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it is what you are striving for which is…" description: "\"“it is what you are striving for which is important, not how you appear.”\" — Michael Newton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-newton-57312_appear_it-is-what-you-are-striving-for-which-is_3114936.jpg" --- # it is what you are striving for which is important, not… ![“it is what you are striving for which is important, not how you appear.” quote by Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-newton-57312_appear_it-is-what-you-are-striving-for-which-is_3114936.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-newton-57312_appear_it-is-what-you-are-striving-for-which-is_3114936.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-newton-57312_appear_it-is-what-you-are-striving-for-which-is_3114936.jpg) > ““it is what you are striving for which is important, not how you appear.”” [Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The importance lies in the intention behind actions rather than outward appearance. **In simple terms:** What you strive for matters more than how you look. Key Takeaway Focus on inner goals, not external image. Themes intention authenticity values Mood thoughtful determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - goal setting - leadership - personal branding - self‑assessment Key Concepts spirituality personal development ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can you align your actions with your true purpose? - What steps will you take to prioritize intention over image? A Different Perspective External perception can still impact opportunities despite inner focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appear/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Appear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-appear-3135237/) [Striving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/striving/) [Striving Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/striving-important-665329/) ## Related quotes > [Striving can be more important than arriving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/striving-can-be-more-important-than-arriving/) [Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [“Sometimes it's very interesting, those things that are very important to you, when they first appear in front of you, you resist them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yixing-zhang/sometimes-it-s-very-interesting-those-things-that-are-very-important/) [Yixing Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yixing-zhang/) > [Set your goals-without goals you cannot measure your progress. But don’t become frustrated because there are no obvious victories. Remind yourself that striving can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/set-your-goals-without-goals-you-cannot-measure-your-progress-but-don/) [Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-important-human-endeavor-is-the-striving-for-morality-in-our/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Hoping, dreaming, and wishing don't play the same game as planning, executing, and striving. Only one of the two paths results in success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-timbre/hoping-dreaming-and-wishing-don-t-play-the-same-game-as-planning/) [Jamie Timbre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-timbre/) > [If you don't want to be number one, then I don't know what you are striving for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cage/if-you-don-t-want-to-be-number-one-then-i-don-t-know-what-you-are/) [Brian Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cage/) > [“That's the thing about the horizon. Every step leads you toward it, but you can never quite reach it. But maybe that's a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/that-s-the-thing-about-the-horizon-every-step-leads-you-toward-it-but/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) > [Holiness through Christ's Spirit is the accountability every Christian should be striving towards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/holiness-through-christ-s-spirit-is-the-accountability-every/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [I find that music makes people just sit and listen, firstly. Then, they seem to interpret their own emotions with the music and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enya/i-find-that-music-makes-people-just-sit-and-listen-firstly-then-they/) [Enya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enya/) > [“Perfection may not be possible, but striving for excellence is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/perfection-may-not-be-possible-but-striving-for-excellence-is/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [It's not about perfection; it's about the joy of striving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keller/it-s-not-about-perfection-it-s-about-the-joy-of-striving/) [Thomas Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keller/) > [“Cathy, don't look so defeated. She was only trying to put us down again. Maybe nothing did work out right for her, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/cathy-don-t-look-so-defeated-she-was-only-trying-to-put-us-down-again/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) > [“Always remember that striving and struggling precede success, even in the dictionary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/always-remember-that-striving-and-struggling-precede-success-even-in/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [America is not static. America is striving. And sometimes, America requires critique. Jingoism is an avoidance of realism. You can simultaneously love and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/america-is-not-static-america-is-striving-and-sometimes-america/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [“When you finally give up striving, you will be left with what you have been striving for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/when-you-finally-give-up-striving-you-will-be-left-with-what-you-have/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) ## More by Michael Newton > [“We count our miseries carefully and accept our blessings without much thought.” Masters”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-newton/we-count-our-miseries-carefully-and-accept-our-blessings-without-much/) [Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) > [“Ode to the Snuff Box This is a Gaelic poem in praise of a snuff box that was originally printed in 1780 but may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-newton/ode-to-the-snuff-box-this-is-a-gaelic-poem-in-praise-of-a-snuff-box/) [Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) > [“What is true forgiveness? M: It is understanding that each creation has their own method of learning and producing, and they’re entitled to mistakes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-newton/what-is-true-forgiveness-m-it-is-understanding-that-each-creation-has/) [Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) > [“Spiritual perception must be an individual quest or it has no meaning. We are greatly influenced by our own immediate reality, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-newton/spiritual-perception-must-be-an-individual-quest-or-it-has-no-meaning/) [Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) > [“Souls are an expression of beauty, imagination and creativity. The ancient Egyptians said that to begin to understand the soul, one must listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-newton/souls-are-an-expression-of-beauty-imagination-and-creativity-the/) [Michael Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) [Explore all 6 Michael Newton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newton/) ## More Appear quotes > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [“Give someone more time and they'll appear to have done more with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/give-someone-more-time-and-they-ll-appear-to-have-done-more-with-it/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Appear On Your Fear, It Will Disappear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-sharukh/appear-on-your-fear-it-will-disappear/) [Syed Sharukh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-sharukh/) > [Though the world may often appear to be more charitable than the church, it is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-the-world-may-often-appear-to-be-more-charitable-than-the/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [“A might force, a consummate power lieth concealed in the world of being. Fix your gaze upon it and upon its unifying influences, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baha-u-llah/a-might-force-a-consummate-power-lieth-concealed-in-the-world-of/) [Baha'u'llah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baha-u-llah/) > [War is big and there are only so many reporters and only so many places for their words and images to appear. Choices are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jackson/war-is-big-and-there-are-only-so-many-reporters-and-only-so-many/) [Bruce Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jackson/) > [Whatever the reason, American Muslims appear far less inclined to support the global jihad than their European counterparts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/whatever-the-reason-american-muslims-appear-far-less-inclined-to/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [Usually, the leaders appear in the moment of the highest stress, when it is time, speaking symbolically, to go to the barricades. Then people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-bukovsky/usually-the-leaders-appear-in-the-moment-of-the-highest-stress-when/) [Vladimir Bukovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-bukovsky/) > [My face frowns by default, so when I'm most calm is when I appear the least approachable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-leung/my-face-frowns-by-default-so-when-i-m-most-calm-is-when-i-appear-the/) [Ken Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-leung/) > [Who are you?" "I am Death," said the creature. "I thought that was obvious." "But you're so small!" "Only because you are small. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/who-are-you-i-am-death-said-the-creature-i-thought-that-was-obvious/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Growing up as a singer, and a cast member, and now as an adult, a songwriter, I get the luxury of choosing the kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/growing-up-as-a-singer-and-a-cast-member-and-now-as-an-adult-a/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [“You need a third option," he said. "Yeah. I guess i do." He nodded, absorbing this. "Well," he said,"For what it's worth, it's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-need-a-third-option-he-said-yeah-i-guess-i-do-he-nodded-absorbing/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Newspapers are not free and they never have been. 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