--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no passion to be found in…" description: "\"“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”\" — Nelson Mandela" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg" --- # There is no passion to be found in playing small—in… ![“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg) > ““There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates striving for one's full potential rather than settling for mediocrity. **In simple terms:** Don't settle for less than you can achieve. Key Takeaway Aim high, pursue your true capabilities. Themes ambition self‑actualization growth Mood inspirational determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - education - entrepreneurship Key Concepts potential capability self‑fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What limits you from pursuing your full potential? - How can you expand your capabilities? A Different Perspective May be unrealistic for those with limited resources or systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passion Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-playing-1646524/) [Playing Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-small-257694/) [Settling Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settling-life-1646525/) [Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small/) [Small Settling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-settling-1700735/) ## Related quotes > [“There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-playing-small-in-settling-for-a-life/) [Matt Morris (1](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-morris-1/) > [There is no passion to be found playing small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-playing-small/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-playing-small-in-settling-for-a-life-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We were not put here on this earth to barely squeak by and settle for a lukewarm, watered-down version of life, or to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/we-were-not-put-here-on-this-earth-to-barely-squeak-by-and-settle-for/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [“Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/your-playing-small-does-not-serve-the-world-there-s-nothing/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/your-playing-small-does-not-serve-the-world-who-are-you-not-to-be/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-settling-for-a-life-that-is-less/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Imagine settling for a life you can have because you don't have the courage to go after the life you really want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-davis/imagine-settling-for-a-life-you-can-have-because-you-don-t-have-the/) [Jill Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-davis/) > [I'm not really that interested in going back to playing small supporting roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-m-not-really-that-interested-in-going-back-to-playing-small/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I have a passion for playing tennis and enjoy the workload and struggles of performing in this amazing global sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sania-mirza/i-have-a-passion-for-playing-tennis-and-enjoy-the-workload-and/) [Sania Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sania-mirza/) > [The passion for playing Chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-passion-for-playing-chess-is-one-of-the-most-unaccountable-in-the/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [I think I have a passion for playing the game. I love to play, and I want to play at a high level. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/i-think-i-have-a-passion-for-playing-the-game-i-love-to-play-and-i/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [My passion is for playing music and although everyone needs a break sometimes just to keep things interesting and fresh, there's no way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/my-passion-is-for-playing-music-and-although-everyone-needs-a-break/) [Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/) > [The passion for playing chess is one of the most unaccountable in the world. It slaps the theory of natural selection in the face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-passion-for-playing-chess-is-one-of-the-most-unaccountable-in-the-2/) [H. G. 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I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". 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The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. 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When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nelson Mandela" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playing-small-in-settling-for-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playing-small-in-settling-for-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/nelson-mandela-248_life_there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playi_153376.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are…” — Nelson Mandela", "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": "Nelson Mandela", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is no passion to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playing-small-in-settling-for-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/there-is-no-passion-to-be-found-in-playing-small-in-settling-for-a/#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 } } ] } ```