--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not know what I was going to do…" description: "\"“I did not know what I was going to do with my life; before anything else I wanted to find an answer, my answer, to the timeless questions, and then af..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd1/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_desire_i-did-not-know-what-i-was-going-to-do-wi_2329899.jpg" --- # I did not know what I was going to do with my life; before… ![“I did not know what I was going to do with my life; before anything else I wanted to find an answer, my answer, to the timeless questions, and then after that I would decide what I would become. If I did not begin by discovering what was the grand purpose of life on earth, I said to myself, how…” quote by Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd1/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_desire_i-did-not-know-what-i-was-going-to-do-wi_2329899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd1/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_desire_i-did-not-know-what-i-was-going-to-do-wi_2329899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd1/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_desire_i-did-not-know-what-i-was-going-to-do-wi_2329899.jpg) > ““I did not know what I was going to do with my life; before anything else I wanted to find an answer, my answer, to the timeless questions, and then after that I would decide what I would become. If I did not begin by discovering what was the grand purpose of life on earth, I said to myself, how would I be able to discover the purpose of my tiny ephemeral life? And if I did not give my life a purpose, how would I be able to engage in action? I was not interested in finding what life's purpose was objectively - this, I divined, was impossible and futile - but simply what purpose I, of my own free will, could give it in accord with my spiritual and intellectual needs. Whether or not this purpose was the true one did not, at that time, have any great significance for me. The important thing was that I should find (should create) a purpose congruent with my own self, and thus, by following it, reel out my particular desires and abilities to the furthest possible limit. For then at last I would be collaborating harmoniously with the totality of the universe.”” [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that personal purpose must be self‑created, aligning with inner spiritual and intellectual needs, before any external actions can be meaningful. **In simple terms:** Find your own purpose before acting. Key Takeaway Create a personal purpose first. Themes purpose self‑discovery spirituality action meaning Mood reflective determined hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal growth - volunteering - relationship building Key Concepts existentialism self‑actualization humanism Questions to Reflect On - What purpose will you create today? - How does purpose shape your actions? A Different Perspective Purpose may shift over time, requiring continual reassessment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-purpose/) [Life'S Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-s-purpose/) [Purpose of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it. The same is true for discovering your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/the-easiest-way-to-discover-the-purpose-of-an-invention-is-to-ask-the/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. 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Your purpose is your reason for living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/you-don-t-decide-what-your-purpose-is-in-life-you-discover-it-your/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Don’t be too engrossed with things of the world; discover your purpose in life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/don-t-be-too-engrossed-with-things-of-the-world-discover-your-purpose/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) ## More by Nikos Kazantzakis > [“We gaze with perplexity at the highest part of the spiral of force that governs the Universe. And we call it God. We could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/we-gaze-with-perplexity-at-the-highest-part-of-the-spiral-of-force/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. 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He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did not know what I was going to do with my life; before anything else I wanted to find an answer, my answer, to the timeless questions, and then after that I would decide what I would become. If I did not begin by discovering what was the grand purpose of life on earth, I said to myself, how would I be able to discover the purpose of my tiny ephemeral life? And if I did not give my life a purpose, how would I be able to engage in action? 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